Chapter 69
Nicholas Returns Home to Love
Early in the year 1806 Nicholas Rostóv returned home on leave. Denísov was going home to Vorónezh and Rostóv persuaded him to travel with him as far as Moscow and to stay with him there. Meeting a comrade at the last post station but one before Moscow, Denísov had drunk three bottles of wine with him and, despite the jolting ruts across the snow-covered road, did not once wake up on the way to Moscow, but lay at the bottom of the sleigh beside Rostóv, who grew more and more impatient the nearer they got to Moscow. “How much longer?…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Growth Gap
Think of a time when you returned to family or old friends after a significant experience that changed you - a new job, major challenge, or life transition. Draw two columns: 'How they still see me' and 'Who I've become.' Fill in specific examples of the differences. Then identify one small way you could help bridge that gap without losing your growth.
Consider:
- •Growth often happens gradually to us but appears sudden to others
- •Family and friends may resist change because they fear losing the person they love
- •Some distance after growth is normal and doesn't mean relationships are failing
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt misunderstood by people who love you after you'd grown or changed. How did you handle the loneliness of being seen as your old self when you knew you were different inside?
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