The works of J.R.R Tolkien have been loved by many, for decades. Their inspiring messages of love and loyalty, of valuing people and peace above war and gold, and of never giving up on making the world a better place even when all hope seems lost, have resonated with generation after generation of readers. The Peter Jackson movie adaptations of both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are known worldwide, and with new iterations of Tolkien’s works (namely The Silmarillion) set to come out in the next few months (in the form of Rings of Power), it’s clear that his works are still very much alive, and are far from fading into memory.

There is one particular story of Tolkien’s, a short and humble piece, that does often get forgotten amidst his massive epics set in the world of Middle Earth. However, for those who know of it and read it, it is actually one of his most rich and beautiful pieces, with arguably one of the best themes and lessons of all of his books.

RELATED: LOTR: Why Did Gandalf Send The Dwarves To Erebor, Knowing The Danger?

"Leaf by Niggle" is a short story that Tolkein published back in 1945, in between The Hobbit and the first Lord of the Rings book. It is a stand-out piece, very different from Tolkien’s other works. The writer himself said in a letter to his friend Stanley Unwin:

‘That story was the only thing I have ever done which cost me absolutely no pains at all. Usually, I compose only with great difficulty and endless rewriting. […] It took only a few hours to get down, and then copy out.’

This is definitely unusual for Tolkien, who is famous for spending decades carefully crafting and sculpting each individual character, language, culture, and history. And the suddenness of its appearance in Tolkien’s mind isn’t the only thing that makes the narrative so different from many of his other works. The story centers around one main character’s thoughts, experience, and journey, rather than a group of companions or a fellowship like most of the long-form works that he is famous for. What's more, it is very introspective, reflecting much of Tolkien’s own thoughts and tribulations as a creative.

Oak tree above Bag End

However, it’s not the uniqueness of the style that makes this little known short story of Tolkien’s such a rare and amazing treasure. Rather, the profoundness of the moral messages at its heart are what make it special. Ultimately, "Leaf by Niggle" is about life and death, and about the journey that all people must take to find fulfillment with the time that they have in this world. It’s about learning to see value in oneself, in a world where worth is measured in all of the wrong things. It’s the story of accepting that happiness can be fleeting and fragile, and that people have to seize it when it finds them. It's about the importance of making the most of the small things that bring people everyday joys, and trusting the journey that guides them, even if it’s not a journey they were expecting or prepared for.

This is summed up by the artist Niggle, when he finds that the landscape that he and his neighbor Parish have been cultivating is not quite what he had envisioned for it, much like life doesn’t turn out to be sometimes: ‘Things might have been different, but they could not have been better.’ There is a deep sense of comfort within the story, a faith that even when things take a difficult and unexpected turn, life is slowly guiding the reader down the path that they were always meant to find, and will lead them to just where they were meant to be all along.

Bilbo leaving The Shire

But for Niggle, a full and content life is about dreaming, doing, and being. Right from the start of the story, Niggle has a painting that he wants to finish, and leaf by leaf it grows into a tree on the canvas as he painstakingly builds it. Yet, all the while he is being constantly interrupted by neighbors and illnesses and the narrow-mindedness of others who can’t see his vision. In a tale that reflects Tolkien’s own struggles as a writer, and as a person who is trying to intricately weave something perfect in an imperfect and judgemental world, Niggle learns that his love and his art can grow beyond the limitations of his canvas. He learns that he can put his passion into the landscapes, into the help he gives his neighbors, and into the way he loves all things around him.

His journey is profound, taking him through what many readers have considered to be a sort of afterlife, through purgatory, and eventually to heaven. It leaves the reader with that same sort of feeling that Bilbo has in The Hobbit, ready to rush out of the door in search of adventure, to live life to the fullest whilst this precious gift is in their hands.

‘Even little Niggle, in his old home, could glimpse the mountains far away, and they got into the borders of his picture, but what they are really like, and what lies beyond them, only those can say who have climbed them.’

MORE: LOTR: Why Didn't Saruman Take Gandalf's Ring Of Power On Orthanc?