Eyes Wide Shut!

This “musing” was written in one of Martin’s journals. His grandson Evan Twyford, read this piece at his funeral, because it so aptly captures how Martin constantly examined things, analyzed his surroundings and marveled at the wonder of how the world works.

Our eyes are never shut, even when the lids are closed! Closing the eyes merely lowers the curtain on the continuous drama unfolding “before our eyes!” But backstage, the eye is still looking – until we fall asleep and abandon ourselves to the subconscious eye of our dreams.

What, if anything, do our eyes see when the lids are closed? To find out, sit outside on a sunny day and let the sun shine directly on your “closed” eyelids.* What you are likely to “see” is a pink network of intersecting lines, dominated at the center by a large circular form. depending on how much sunshine is falling on your eyelids and how tightly your eyes are shut, the central form will seem greenish. These impressions are fleeting and ever-changing, like the images inside a kaleidoscope, but less precise and always in the red part of the spectrum.

Now look closely and, if you are “sharp eyed” and objective, you may “see” small forms moving slowly through the network. These are red blood cells, making their way slowly through this tiny network of capillaries.

*It requires a sort of Zen-like concentration until you get the hang of it.

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