Will Natalie marry Pierre?

5 After five days in a row of land excursions, a quiet day at sea has never been more welcome. Each of us has our responsibilities. Eve does the laundry. I take a sauna. We both spend time sorting through our photos on our phones, seeking to find the best and eliminate the rest. Not a trivial task. It will be easier in a year or two, when countless photos will have no meaning anymore. 

I find a couple of hours to continue with “War and Peace“. I am nearing the end. Napolean is retreating from Russia. 

“When a man finds himself moving forwards, he never fails to think of a goal to aim at. If he is to walk a thousand miles a man must believe there is something good waiting at the end of the thousand miles. You need the vision of a promised land to keep on moving. Moscow had been the promised land for the French on their way into Russia; on their way out, it was home. But home was too far away. A man on a thousand-mile walk has to forget his ultimate goal and say to himself every morning, ‘Today I am going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.’ During the first stage of the journey the resting-place eclipses any idea of the ultimate goal, and all his hopes and desires are focused on that alone.”

I find Tolstoy’s writing surprisingly relevant:

• Today I will read 100 pages.

• Today we are cruising to Hobart.

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