On Seeing the Light

Starry Night

Starry Night

I have taught art history for years and admire the post-impressionist, Vincent van Gogh. I especially love Starry Night. I have seen Starry Night while it was on loan at the Art Institute in Chicago years ago. Van Gogh painted the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence from his hospital room in June of 1889. He struggled much of his life with a long list of medical and emotional problems. One of his major problems was his eyesight. Nonetheless, van Gogh paints a nighttime scene of the village while wrestling with his seeing issues.

While I never was in a sanatorium like van Gogh, I had a recent appointment with my cardiologist, Dr. Marchand. It was a routine checkup for high blood pressure. All was well with my heart. However, I asked him why I was so wound-up having just returned from Myanmar/Burma. He replied that it was due to my endorphins. I pressed him further about why my endorphins were up.

Dr. Marchand understood that I wanted to know. I am different than I was prior to going to Myanmar. He paused, looked directly into my eyes, and said, "You have seen the light." While our eyes remained locked with each other, he paused, and said nothing more. Once he knew that I had gotten his message, he told me that he would see me in six months. I will never forget that office visit with Dr. Marchand.

Like van Gogh, I was living but not seeing everything. Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night, and I saw the light.


I See More Clearly... thumbnail I See More Clearly... Thanks to Carl Sagan.

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Tattoo of Pooh thumbnail The Tattoo of My Pooh and Me Ginger and Don Quixote
The Reason thumbnail The Reason Behind... Everything
Live In The Moment  thumbnail Live in the Moment... Plan for the Future
Free To Be Me  thumbnail Free To Be Me— A Driven Dancer
Ashley and Michael  thumbnail What I Owe Ashley and Michael Wall Removal
Ginger Santayana thumbnail Ginger and Santayana Remember the Past
Lawrence of Arabia  thumbnail Lawrence of Arabia One of My Mentors
Ti Ti thumbnail Ti Ti A Reason for Being
Ginger and I thumbnail Ginger and I Promises To Keep and Miles To Go Before We Sleep
Ginger Longshanks thumbnail Ginger AKA Longshanks
Double Axe  thumbnail The Double-Axe A Symbol of My Identity
I'm On the Road Again thumbnail I’m On the Road Again But Why?
The Hollow Man thumbnail The Hollow Man Who Wears Long Ties
When Dreaming  thumbnail When Dreams Aren’t Realized What Should You Do?
Minnows or Manhood  thumbnail Minnows or Manhood Or Scent of a Woman....
Akhenaten thumbnail Akhenaten... My Mentor
Essay with No Words thumbnail Essay with No Words But Look At My Eyes
Better Angels thumbnail “Better Angels of Our Nature” In America, Mexico, and Burma
Clarence Page  thumbnail Clarence Page and Donald the Dumb— The President of Trump University
Ti Ti Poem thumbnail Ti Ti and I A Most Haunting Relationship
Macbeth Hamlet  thumbnail Macbeth... Guilt Spills Itself for Fear of Being Spilt
Pentagon Paper thumbnail The Pentagon Papers... Then and Now
Trinity Oppenheimer thumbnail Oppie The Scientist and the Philosopher
Dump Me Off thumbnail Just Drop Me Off And Ginger’s Toy Dog
Close to Treason thumbnail “Close to Treason” It Is Close to Stupid but Not Treason.
Rage Rage  thumbnail Rage, Rage... Against the Pissing Pug
Henry and Becket thumbnail Henry II and Thomas Becket Then and Now
Burma Road thumbnail What Did I Learn... From Vinegar Joe
Impeachment thumbnail Impeachment of Trump And the Tower of Babel
Donald the Dumb's Dilemma thumbnail Donald the Dumb’s Dilemma Falling from Great Heights
Teaching Donald the Dumb  thumbnail Teaching Donald the Dumb There Is No Happiness Where There Is No Wisdom
The Ides of June thumbnail The Ides of June And Religious Ties
Unquenchable Drive thumbnail Learning, the Unquenchable Drive Travel and Learn
Haunting of Hachi  thumbnail The Hauntings of Hachikō and Bobby… And the Haunting of My Gingers
Ginger's Predecessors thumbnail Ginger’s Predecessors And My Domesticated Carnivore
Three Blind Mice  thumbnail Three Blind Mice… And Bloody Mary
I'm Not Going Silently  thumbnail Do Not Going Gently Into That Good Night I Will Rage
Brexit vs Scoxit thumbnail Brexit vs Scoxit The Death Blow to the British Empire
The Help  thumbnail The Help Déjá Vu
Bowl of Cherries thumbnail Life Is a Bowl of Cherries Or the Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
the-amazing-process-called-learning thumbnail The Amazing Process Called Learning Thinking Outside the Box
Chick Magnet  thumbnail Chick Magnet And the Hauntings
The Hauntings thumbnail The Hauntings About Bobby and the Gingers
On Riding to Samara thumbnail On Riding to Samara Then and Now....
Invictus thumbnail Invictus Thank You, Mrs. Davis
What Donald the Dumb is Missing in Life?  thumbnail What Donald the Dumb is Missing in Life? Eppie
Robert the Bruce  thumbnail Robert the Bruce I'll Drink to Him!
Thus Spoke Dr. Marchand...  thumbnail Thus Spoke Dr. Marchand... And Ginger
Ginger, Socks, and Poe thumbnail Ginger, Socks, and Poe Finding Lenore....
The Value of Travel:  thumbnail The Value of Travel: Education
A Lesson of Life thumbnail A Lesson of Life Learned from a Cockroach
The Great Value of the Philosophers' Stone...  thumbnail The Great Value of the Philosophers' Stone... To Me
Accomplishing Things in Life...  thumbnail Accomplishing Things in Life... Even Long Shots
Teach Your Children, Part 2 thumbnail Teach Your Children, Part 2 But When?
Only Those Who Dare to Fail... thumbnail Only Those Who Dare to Fail... Can Achieve
Deplorable...  thumbnail Deplorable... Defining the Definition
Roll Me Up thumbnail Roll Me Up I Am Free to be Me at 73
Tom Brokaw... thumbnail Tom Brokaw... Another Dancer
On the Road Again... thumbnail On the Road Again... Like a Gypsy
Dostoyevsky Danced with Death thumbnail Dostoyevsky Danced with Death As a Result, Became a Great Writer.
Teach Your Children... thumbnail Teach Your Children... To Dream
Resurrecting Dashed Dreams thumbnail Resurrecting Dashed Dreams By Continuing to Dream
Himmler and His Quest for the Holy Grail thumbnail Himmler and His Quest for the Holy Grail Remember the Past
Dealing with Impossible Dreams Realistically... thumbnail Dealing with Impossible Dreams Realistically... Or Getting All My Ducks Lined Up
The Fighting Téméraire thumbnail The Fighting Téméraire Explained My Nostalgia to Me
Why Do I Care? thumbnail Why Do I Care? More to the Point, Why Doesn't Everyone Care?
Confucius Say thumbnail Confucius Say, "Petty Man Understands Profit"
Rediscovering the Past... thumbnail Rediscovering the Past... Eleanor Roosevelt
The Meaning Behind the Man thumbnail The Meaning Behind the Man The Man of La Mancha
Trying and Failing... thumbnail Trying and Failing... Is Better than Failing without Trying
Listening to My Mentors thumbnail Listening to My Mentors And Dreaming Impossible Dreams
The Terrorism Trifecta thumbnail The Terrorism Trifecta Three More Dances with Death
We Must Address Conservativism...  thumbnail We Must Address Conservativism... For Two Essential Reasons
The Value of Giving Gifts... thumbnail The Value of Giving Gifts... To Young Children
Bobby Kennedy thumbnail Bobby Kennedy Still Reaches Out to Us.
The Queen's Haunting... thumbnail The Queen's Haunting... Bohemian Rhapsody
We Shall Overcome thumbnail We Shall Overcome A Belief Amid Darkness
My Sherpa Statue Spoke thumbnail My Sherpa Statue Spoke A Valuable Time Spent Listening
The 5-Things Test thumbnail The 5-Things Test Seeing Yourself as Others See You
The Angel Spoke... thumbnail The Angel Spoke... And I Listened.
The Value of My Hauntings....  thumbnail The Value of My Hauntings.... It Forces the Issues
Mr. Turner thumbnail Mr. Turner The Dualism of Feelings
The Third Dance thumbnail The Third Dance Apparently Was a Misstep
How to be Smarter thumbnail How to be Smarter Than We Think We Are
I am Don Quixote thumbnail I am Don Quixote But I Am Not from La Mancha
Worthless Windmills thumbnail Worthless Windmills Time Will Tell Their Worth
On Seeing the Light thumbnail On Seeing the Light Chuck, Paul, and Me
Two Roads in the Wood thumbnail Two Roads in the Wood Choose Wisely
Grave or No Grave thumbnail Grave or No Grave That is the Question
Best of Times, Worst of Times thumbnail Best of Times, Worst of Times It Is Your Choice; Choose Wisely
Buddha's Strange Parable... thumbnail Buddha's Strange Parable... Which We Need to Understand
The Value of Dreaming thumbnail The Value of Dreaming About My List of Dulcineas
Dreams will come to you....  thumbnail Dreams will come to you.... If You Are True to Your Quest
"I'm Dying, and I'm Having Fun." Randy Pausch is Correct
The Little Match Girl thumbnail The Little Match Girl And The Golden Statue
The Very Strange Year of 2008 thumbnail The Very Strange Year of 2008 A Year to Remember
The Gift of an Angel thumbnail The Gift of an Angel It is More About My Feelings
 I Know Who I Am... thumbnail I Know Who I Am... And Have Found Two People Who Understand Me
Take Your Passion and Make It Happen thumbnail Take Your Passion and Make It Happen Flashdance Follow-up
What a Feeling thumbnail What a Feeling And It Is a Great Feeling
Want to See What I'm Wearing for Halloween? thumbnail Want to See What I'm Wearing for Halloween? A Profound Question
Dr. Marchand Knows Medicine Well... thumbnail Dr. Marchand Knows Medicine Well... And He Knows Life Well Also
Doubling Down... thumbnail Doubling Down... To Make Dreams Come True
It's Confession Time... thumbnail It's Confession Time... And It Isn't Sunday
The Mahogany Bench thumbnail The Mahogany Bench A Place for Dreaming....
A Great Dancer with Death thumbnail A Great Dancer with Death A Sobering Experience
Putting the Pieces Together thumbnail Putting the Pieces Together The Joy of Coming of Age
Agnes Majors in the Minors thumbnail Agnes Majors in the Minors A Big Fish in a Drying Up Small Pond
The Value of Standing on Desks thumbnail The Value of Standing on Desks Allows One to See the World Clearly
Discovery of Terracotta Warriors thumbnail Discovery of Terracotta Warriors... And Nessie
A Man with a Mission... thumbnail A Man with a Mission... Sinking a German U-boat
Riders on the Streetcar Named Desire: thumbnail Riders on the Streetcar Named Desire: Elizabeth and Rosa
Darwin, van Gogh, and Lindbergh's Gifts thumbnail Darwin, van Gogh, and Lindbergh's Gifts For Owen on His Third Birthday
What Matisse Taught Me Years Ago, thumbnail What Matisse Taught Me Years Ago, Which I Finally Fully Understand
Career Opportunity... thumbnail Career Opportunity... Being a Gladiator
Steve Jobs and Charles Dickens thumbnail Steve Jobs and Charles Dickens How to Avoid the Ghosts
How Do We Learn? thumbnail How Do We Learn? The Lessons in Learning
Obama's Golden Opportunity thumbnail Obama's Golden Opportunity On Leaving a Legacy
Ozone to Ferguson thumbnail Ozone to Ferguson A Journey That Never Seems To End
It Was the Best of Times thumbnail It Was the Best of Times It Was the Worst of Times....
A Hand Is Put Into Theirs... thumbnail A Hand Is Put Into Theirs... And the Hand May Be a Little Child's
What Einstein Taught Me About Riding a Bike thumbnail What Einstein Taught Me About Riding a Bike ...Keep Moving
Serendipity... thumbnail Serendipity... Finding Without Looking
A Fool with a Plan... thumbnail A Fool with a Plan... Is Better Than a Genius with No Plan.
Joe Hill Died November 19, 1915 thumbnail Joe Hill Died November 19, 1915 "I Never Died," Says He.
Death is the Best Invention of Life thumbnail Death is the Best Invention of Life Breathing Is Not Living
Seeing When You Think You See... thumbnail Seeing When You Think You See... The Difference is Dazzling.
A Lesson of Life from Alexander the Great thumbnail A Lesson of Life from Alexander the Great "Each moment free from fear makes a man immortal."
On Seeing the Light...part II thumbnail On Seeing the Light...part II And I Thought that I Had Seen the Light
My Dots in Life Get Connected thumbnail My Dots in Life Get Connected With the Singing of Pete Seeger
Pushing Oneself... thumbnail Pushing Oneself... What I Learned from T. S. Eliot
Darkest Before Dawn thumbnail Darkest Before Dawn A Logical Disconnect that Is True
Come Alive... thumbnail Come Alive... Before You Die.
Orwell and Scottish Independence thumbnail Orwell and Scottish Independence Or Smell the Heather and Vote for Independence
Burma-Shave... thumbnail Burma-Shave... And Seeing the Light
The Chilling Reality of Global Warming thumbnail The Chilling Reality of Global Warming Where Does Lying Get Politicians and the Rest of Us?
Moravec Evolution thumbnail Moravec Evolution or the 21st Century Scopes Trial
Old Men Should Plant Trees... thumbnail Old Men Should Plant Trees... And They Should Be Planted Now.
Connecting the Dots With Jack and Owen thumbnail Connecting the Dots With Jack and Owen Teaching Them To Be Steve Jobs-esque
Jack and Owen thumbnail Jack and Owen Novice 21st Century Johnny Appleseeds
Right-Brain Pain and Gain... thumbnail Right-Brain Pain and Gain... Getting Organized After Seeing the Light
Leaving a Legacy... thumbnail Leaving a Legacy... A Concern of a 71-Year Old.
The Cosmic Calendar thumbnail The Cosmic Calendar ...and Our Importance on the Pale Blue Dot
Orwell and Kipling and the Battle of Burma thumbnail Orwell and Kipling and the Battle of Burma Or Why I Care
Advantages of Growing Old thumbnail Advantages of Growing Old ...You Will Not Be Here in the 22nd Century
Hang a Lantern on Your Problems... thumbnail "Hang a Lantern on Your Problems..." So All Can See.
One of the Advantages of Being Right-Brain thumbnail One of the Advantages of Being Right-Brain: Finding Another Prison.
Good Trip / Bad Trip thumbnail Good Trip / Bad Trip ...the Great Benefits of Bad Trips
Faulkner's Lesson of Life... thumbnail Faulkner's Lesson of Life... Even When the Last Ding-dong of Doom has Clanged.
On Seeing the Light... thumbnail On Seeing the Light... More Clearly
The Value of Travel thumbnail The Value of Travel... Or Learning About Myanmar.
The Two Ladies thumbnail The Two Ladies: Parallels between the Ukraine and Myanmar
The Blessing and the Curse of the Internet thumbnail The Blessing and the Curse of the Internet ...Everyone Will Have a Saved Memory
I Have Seen the Light... thumbnail I Have Seen the Light... Thanks to Myanmar and Dr. Marchand