April 11, 2025

This morning while doing my usual coffee-time phone checks, I found this quote on Bluesky posted by a vintage photos account:

“Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.” - Leo Tolstoy

While not the biggest Tolstoy fan (only read a few of his stories but never dedicated time to Anna Karenina since college), this is a simple yet profound thing to remember as I'm hitting my 40s. I've been in a professional and psychological rut for the last couple years and trying to look for ways to shake things up without disrupting my very stable relationships.

The quote could also be a little victim-blamey, like "accept changes no matter how destructive since it's all for The Good in the end." This tracks with the little I know of Tolstoy's religious convictions (presuming The Good = Jesus), but I'm choosing to interpret it differently: "Don't despair - innovate instead."

Given my penchant for doom-scrolling and knowing I'm vulnerable to pessimism/nihilism/cynicism, this may be a potential life-saving quote for the next ten years.

P.S. Picture chosen for today is by Robert Gramner (Unsplash) since my spouse was trying to get our dog to watch a video about ducks while I wrote this (which was spurred on by my cooking duck breast for the first time tonight...).

P.S.S. Made a comment about Tolstoy's religious leanings even thought I'm actually an agnostic-atheist. If you want to actually read his words on it, The Kingdom of God Is Within You would be the place to start.