After the dilation, I was blinded by the light and so strolled down the sidewalk in the darkness of closed eyes, only to find myself so deeply taken by the variety of birdsong around me – not in the diversification of species, but in the unique individual accents and choice of emphasis, the freedom of expression within a fixed system of musical progression – that I nearly stepped into traffic. I spent three hours in the eye doctor’s office, not because anything was wrong, but because it’s the most raucous, chaotic, and extroverted place on the planet and with more than a few belly laughs caused and taken, I drove home happy with good health.