My Hauntings

My Hauntings

For years, I have experienced what I call my hauntings.  These events are not Halloween-like hauntings or ghoulish feelings that create fear and terror within me.  My hauntings come rather as nagging questions begging answers, understandings, or explanations.  They can be both personal and professional issues that will not rest until I address them in some fashion.  My hauntings are like what Edgar Allan Poe describes in The Raven.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more."

My hauntings do not come like Poe's raven "perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door" but very often late at night while I am at my computer.  Nonetheless, I benefit from them once I address the hauntings in some manner. 

An example of one of my hauntings occurred while I was traveling in Myanmar.  Of all my various trips to faraway places around the world, that single trip was the best trip that I have ever taken for many reasons.  Myanmar is a military dictatorship.  However, I was invited to attend a protest rally near Sule Pagoda in Yangon.  It reminded me of the civil rights protest rallies back in the 60s.  That protest rally at Sule Pagoda was a transformative event for me. 

A couple days after returning home from Myanmar, I had a routine office visit with my cardiologist, Dr. Marchand.  Everything was fine with my heart.  Nevertheless, he asked me if I had any questions for him.  I asked him a non-cardiovascular question about my being wired.  He responded, "You have seen the light."  Dr. Marchand's response caused me to address both his response and my haunting regarding being driven.

Interestingly, my hauntings rattle me until I act.  When I act, the outcome, about which I had procrastinated addressing, is often a blessing or at least a relief.  When I attempt to deal some personal or professional haunting, if I fail, at least I tried while daring greatly

This essay is the archetypal example of my hauntings.


The Angel Spoke... thumbnail The Angel Spoke... And I Listened.

Happy Birthday Ginger Happy Birthday Ginger She Turned Eight Today
What’s With the Water? What’s With the Water? Water, Water, Everywhere
Professor Keating and I Professor Keating and I We Both Took Mrs. Davis’s English Class
Another Eureka Moment Another Eureka Moment Thank You, Nancy
Two Worlds and Two Realities Two Worlds and Two Realities Pick Your Choice
Legends Often Morph into Facts The Virgin King Enjoying Life in Another World
Another Parallel Another Parallel With James Earl Jones and Me
Discovering a Mentor Discovering a Mentor In a Field of Dreams
Another Set of Photos Another Set of Photos For Ti Ti from PaPa Al
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree “The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree” The Bobby Paradox
We Are All Teachers We Are All Teachers Be Careful What You Teach
Become a Bo Bo Gyi Become a Bo Bo Gyi It's About Giving to Get.
The Snowman vs Allen The Snowman vs Allen How To Change the World
What’s with Nancy Nurenberg? What’s with Nancy Nurenberg? It’s All About Feeling Dumb and Poor
The Washington Role Model The Washington Role Model The Cherry Tree and Flowering Crabapple Tree
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Let the World Know Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Let the World Know It is Snow’s Birthday!
If a Doctor Tells Me To Do Something If a Doctor Tells Me To Do Something Sometimes I Disobey
How Will We Be Remembered How Will We Be Remembered Another Either / Or Essay
A Funny Thing Happened A Funny Thing Happened At My Doctor’s Office
I’m Leading Death Again I’m Leading Death Again On My Dancefloor of Life
What’s It All About, Alfie What’s It All About, Alfie According to Longfellow
My Grandmother’s Words My Grandmother’s Words Haunt and Inspire Me
I Wonder Whether the Elk Did the Dance I Wonder Whether the Elk Did the Dance He Acted Like It
Ginger and I Have Done the Dance Ginger and I Have Done the Dance Each of Us Twice
Legends Often Morph into Facts How Much Land Does a Man Need? An Edited Tolstoy
What’s with Bohemian Rhapsody What’s with Bohemian Rhapsody And Our Takeaway
Field of Dreams Field of Dreams A Haunting Return
Immortal Beloved Immortal Beloved Beethoven’s, Shakespeare’s, and Mine
What Did Rowe Learn from Beethoven? What Did Rowe Learn from Beethoven? Erasing
Legends Often Morph into Facts What I Discovered When I Wasn’t Looking
Ginger Trains Her Owner Ginger Trains Her Owner And I’m Obedient
Standing on the Hill Standing on the Hill Our Human Destiny
Legends Often Morph into Facts Träumerei Then and Now
The Paradox About Ring Kissing The Paradox About Ring Kissing Why the Kiss?
Legends Often Morph into Facts Kicking the Can Down the Road, Again 50th Mass Shootings in America This Year
The Past is a Precursor The Past is a Precursor To the Future
Starting a New Year Starting a New Year With a New Battery and Insight
What’s It All About... What’s It All About... The Paradox of Life
I’m Going to be an Astrophysicist... I’m Going to be an Astrophysicist... In My Next Life.
Legends Often Morph into Facts Do You Hear the People Sing... Who Will Not Be Slaves Again!
Legends Often Morph into Facts Yin-Yang Beyond My Personal World What About Your World?
Legends Often Morph into Facts Ginger’s Gift to Dr. Derrè Ginger Stated, “Dr. Derrè’s My Vet”
Legends Often Morph into Facts Let Me Get This Straight “If you go after me, I’m coming after you.”
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night A Lesson Taught by Dylan Thomas
The Reason for Being The Reason for Being An Either/Or Situation
The Ripple Effect The Ripple Effect An Either/Or Issue
Ginger’s 7th Birthday Ginger’s 7th Birthday What’s Life All About, Alfie?
Sagan’s Golden Records Sagan’s Golden Records On the Horns of a Dilemma
Lawrence of Arabia... Lawrence of Arabia... A Mentor of Mine
Legends Often Morph into Facts Ginger’s Check-Up Again, at Purdue Veterinary Hospital
Tyson’s Two Thoughts Tyson’s Two Thoughts Regarding AI and a Ticking Clock
Trump Is Better Than Jesus Trump Is Better Than Jesus So He Says
Haunting Photos Haunting Photos Then and Now
picture-of
            What I Learned In My Twilight Years Giotto Revisited
Oppie and Me Oppie and Me The Similarities are Striking
Gosh Josh Gosh Josh You Are So into Your Masculinity
Two Kings Sat on Hollow Thrones Two Kings Sat on Hollow Thrones Back Then and Now
AI Has Come of Age AI Has Come of Age And Who Is Greater?
Les Misérables Then and Now Les Misérables Then and Now Chevalier the Latest Incarnation
The Times They Are A-Changin’ Again The Times They Are A-Changin’ Again The Tennessee Three
Picking Mentors Picking Mentors Choose Wisely
What’s It All About Ginger? What’s It All About Ginger? The Haunting Question
Ginger and Poisoning Ginger and Poisoning A Sequel
Music Explains Me Music Explains Me Music Drives Me
Happy Birthday Moh Moh Happy Birthday Moh Moh And Many More
Threading the Needle Threading the Needle To Address Racism
TV Commercials TV Commercials Five Pros and One Con
Learning from Two Astrophysicists Learning from Two Astrophysicists About this World
Fatty and Bo Bo Gyi Fatty and Bo Bo Gyi Addressing Our Nation’s Problems
Education is a Double-Edged Sword Education is a Double-Edged Sword How To Address Learning
Aggressive Chimpanzees Aggressive Chimpanzees Outside of Africa
Grasping Reality Grasping Reality I Can’t Explain It
The Benefit of Pain The Benefit of Pain Take Advantage of It
What Drove My Father and Drives Me? What Drove My Father and Drives Me? Pain
My Twilight Hauntings... My Twilight Hauntings... About Immortality
Knives My Quest to Understand Why? Why Everything
The Chinese Used Knife Money The Chinese Used Knife Money But Why?
As Shelley Wrote, We Are All Greek As Shelley Wrote, “We Are All Greek” Some Don’t Get It
Growing Up Without Transparency Growing Up Without Transparency And Finally Discovering It
A Lesson About Life… Don’t Fear Death…
Juneteenth A Day to Remember
There is a Teapot in Orbit Around the Sun… It Was Mentioned in Ancient Texts
The Trinity of Evil Monkeys See as Monkeys Do
Grasping Reality While My Clock Is Ticking
Heaven and Hell What’s It All About, Alfie
Seeing the Future At Least Three Times
My Family in Myanmar: A Sequel to What’s It All About
The Helter-Skelter Mindset1 Locally and Globally
The Helter-Skelter Mindset1 Locally and Globally
My Great-Granddaughter A Younger Version of My Granddaughters
If Everything Around You Seems Dark… Look Again. You May Be the Light.
History Is Repetitious Then and Now
My Dreamland During My Operation
The Graduate… The Canine Version
The Operation Was Successful But No Microchip Was Found
Free To Be Me… Somewhat
“The Moving Finger Writes” Another Teaching Moment
Ginger and I In Our Recovery Modes
My Extended Family You Can See Her Painting.
A New Ripple And a Purposeful Life
Paying Homage… To Me
Societal Dreaming Delayed but Not Dashed
A Ngal Lay Sent Me Pictures and a Video About Our Time Together
My Great-Granddaughter… A Ngal Lay
The Pros and Cons… Of Replicating Our Parents
Realizing the New Normal What’s All About, Alfie?
The Eternal Question The Harvest or the Seeds
Gandhi’s Tribute to Moh Moh For Her Indomitable Will
We Are Cave Men But What Is Our Purpose in Life?
A Ngal Lay My Great-Granddaughter
Write On Advice from PaPa Al, aka Grandpa
If They See the Goblin… They Might Also See Planet X.
The Little One, A Part of My Family
One Year Hence Reincarnation of Gawain and the Fox
Reincarnation of Ra-Ra… Reincarnation of Ra-Ra…
Queen Elizabeth and King Donald Royal Indignity
The Haunting Question Which Sir Launfal Are You?
He Is My Brother On This Pale Blue Dot
A Funny Thing Happened While on Zoom My Fourth La Danse Macabre
Learning from Collecting Written by a Collector of Treasures
My Quest to Find Meaning Life My Search for My Holy Grail
My Love of Teaching This Is An Example
What’s It All About Aldie My Haunting Question
A Secret About LifeHow To Be Successful
A Modafinil Moment…Revisited
The Importance of the Sound of Music…According to Nietzsche and Me
Amazing Grace Or More of the Same Insanity
There Is More to Dreaming…Than Just Dreaming
Focusing My Stream of ConsciousnessBy Watching a Movie
Egoism vs AltruismThere is a Better Way
Reflections on My Journey Down the Yellow Brick RoadOur Clocks Are Ticking
Our Reason for BeingDiscover It
The Week That WasDance on with Determination
The Cave vs Reality...That is the Question.
We Face Two PandemicsBoth Need Immediate Attention
Circle of LifeDance On
Mr. ChipsAn Updated Version
A Present-Day ParableWhich Can Be Understood
Perspective What You See Is What You Get.
The Reason for the Hole in the Mountain This Isn’t Fake News
Modafinil— The Pill that Stopped My Meandering
A Whiter Shade of Pale What’s It All About?
Another Déjà Vu In the Arts and Philosophy
Nietzsche Apparently Read Thoreau But I Have Read Much of Both
Nietzsche, Pathétique, and No Pain, No Gain Part Two of One-Liners
Nietzsche Wanted Two Things in Life: Music and a Dancing God
Purpose of Our Being What’s It All About, Alfie
Pathétique A Way to Live Life
The Moving Finger Writes And the Writings Haunt Me
Coffin Bridge… Build What You Need
Vocation of An Old Man… Being a Bridge Builder
I Will Rage, Rage… On Behalf of 1250 Students and One Celestial Comet
Dreaming…. About My Moment in Time
Tintern Abbey Viewed by Wordsworth and Turner
I Made a Mistake… Imagine That
This Essay Is About Morphing Pelosi, Donald the Dumb, Pausch, Gandhi, and Me
Something to Dream About While Waiting for the IRS’s Approval
Light at the End of the Tunnel However, the Tunnel is an Illusion
This Essay Addresses Alfie What’s It All About?
Hauntings from Deep Space…. From the Tabby’s Star
Looking at Life From Both Sides Now
Way Back Home… In America and Myanmar
"Look at Me I Am Old but I’m Happy"
On Land and Sea We Are All Greeks
Serendipitous Moments in My Life And They Are Haunting Me
Happy Birthday to My Ginger Pooh Who is Two
Ginger’s Vet… My Psychiatrist
Rhythm of My Heart Here and Abroad
Remembering a Brief Moment in Camelot Which Was Lost in Time
Ginger Is the Love of My Life As Seen in Music That I Love
The Meaning of Being Or Why Am I Here?
Eppie… Then and Now
Ti Ti’s Birthday Present On Her 14th Birthday
Clarity About Dancing Clarity About Dancing Being Arthur Murray in the Real World
Ginger Recovered Ginger Recovered And I Returned To My Hauntings
Ginger Is One And Half Ginger is One and a Half Years Old… But What an Eighteen Months
Moh Moh Bobby And Me Moh Moh, Bobby, and Me…. All Dreamers
bobbys-suggestion thumbnail Bobby’s Suggestion About My Problems… A School in Taunggyi, Myanmar
holmes-washington thumbnail Sherlock Holmes In Washington While We Drank Ginger Grog
marner-me thumbnail Marner and Eppie Me and the Girls
question thumbnail The Question Is… How Will You Be Remembered?
age-revolution  thumbnail An Age of Revolution If We But Know What To Do With It
water-horse thumbnail The Water Horse of Loch Ness And Our Water Horses of Life
shopping-spree thumbnail A Shopping Spree With My Three Granddaughters
lesson-dreaming thumbnail Lesson Learned About Dreaming I Learned from Bobby
best-week thumbnail The Best Week of My Life… Occurred While I Was in Burma
meaning-of-life thumbnail My Thoughts about the Meaning of Life My Perspective from My Twilight Years
gingers-world-2 thumbnail Ginger's World... Blends with My World
another-breakfast thumbnail Another Breakfast with My Shrink Dealing with Dreaming
Dreaming Dreams  thumbnail Dreaming Dreams that Never Were... Asking Why Not.
Blue Eyes thumbnail Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain While Plowing
Ginger World thumbnail Ginger's World... Blends with My World
Why Ginger thumbnail Why Ginger? The Hauntings of My Pooh Dog
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address thumbnail Lincoln's Gettysburg Address... Then and Now
Edmund Fitzgerald thumbnail The Haunting of the Edmund Fitzgerald Doomed Before Setting Sail
Kepler Looking thumbnail What is Kepler Looking For? Intelligent Life in the Universe
Tattoo of Pooh thumbnail The Tattoo of My Pooh and Me Ginger and Don Quixote
The Reason thumbnail The Reason Behind... Everything
Fake News thumbnail Fake News... Of the Italian Renaissance
Free To Be Me  thumbnail Free To Be Me— A Driven Dancer
Jade Suit thumbnail Jade Suit... Then Roll Me Up When I Die.
Ginger and I thumbnail Ginger and I Promises To Keep and Miles To Go Before We Sleep
The Issue of Kissing thumbnail Ginger And the Issue of Kissing
Essay with No Words thumbnail Essay with No Words But Look At My Eyes
Me and My Shrink thumbnail Me and My Shrink Dealing With What Drives Me
To Attach or Not Attach  thumbnail To Attach or Not to Attach That Is the Question
Ti Ti Poem thumbnail Ti Ti and I A Most Haunting Relationship
Unconditional Love  thumbnail Ginger And Her Unconditional Love
Single Player thumbnail My Solution to Healthcare Reform... Single-Payer
Breaking News thumbnail Breaking News from Ginger About Trump Colluding with the Russians and Putin
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
Brown vs Board thumbnail Brown vs Board of Education... A Time to Reflect
The Meaning of Life thumbnail The Meaning of Life It Is All About Fighting the Good Fight for Others
Bowl of Cherries thumbnail Life Is a Bowl of Cherries Or the Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
Chick Magnet  thumbnail Chick Magnet And the Hauntings
The Hauntings thumbnail The Hauntings About Bobby and the Gingers
A Dog's Purpose thumbnail A Dog's Purpose The Person's Purpose
Ginger, Socks, and Poe thumbnail Ginger, Socks, and Poe Finding Lenore....
The Meaning of Ginger thumbnail The Meaning of Ginger The Winter Solstice
A Lesson of Life thumbnail A Lesson of Life Learned from a Cockroach
Ginger, the Dances, and the Lady  thumbnail Ginger, the Dances, and the Lady It Is All About Determination
Accomplishing Things in Life...  thumbnail Accomplishing Things in Life... Even Long Shots
Mentor Tell You Something About You  thumbnail Mentor Tell You Something About You The Value of Post-it Notes
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
The Lady, Bobby, and Bagan  thumbnail The Lady, Bobby, and Bagan Triangulation Process
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.
The Value of Grandchildren thumbnail The Value of Grandchildren Links to the Past and Future
Teach Your Children... thumbnail Teach Your Children... To Dream
A Bridge Too Far thumbnail A Bridge Too Far Isn't Always the Case
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
GiGi's Psychoanalysis thumbnail GiGi's Psychoanalysis Me and My Hauntings
Why Do I Care? thumbnail Why Do I Care? More to the Point, Why Doesn't Everyone Care?
Moh Moh Spoke thumbnail Moh Moh Spoke And She Sounded Like Don Quixote
 thumbnail Return to Myanmar Dream Big
Listening to My Mentors thumbnail Listening to My Mentors And Dreaming Impossible Dreams
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
My Love Letters thumbnail My Love Letters They Must Be Written
We Shall Overcome thumbnail We Shall Overcome A Belief Amid Darkness
Last Words thumbnail Last Words Or Don Quixote's Joists with Windmills
I Come in a World of Iron...  thumbnail "I Come in a World of Iron... To Make a World of Gold."
Bloody Hands and No Backbone thumbnail Bloody Hands and No Backbone What a Legacy
The Thinkers Three thumbnail The Thinkers Three Jack, Owen, and Me
The Value of My Hauntings....  thumbnail The Value of My Hauntings.... It Forces the Issues
What I Learned About Toddlers  thumbnail What I Learned About Toddlers From Two Toddlers
Ghost Riders in the Sky thumbnail Ghost Riders in the Sky Then and Now
Master Kong Said... thumbnail Master Kong Said... Don't Remember Being Wronged
Kelly, My Hair Dresser thumbnail Kelly, My Hair Dresser And Her Mind
Mr. Turner thumbnail Mr. Turner The Dualism of Feelings
The Third Dance thumbnail The Third Dance Apparently Was a Misstep
The Relationship Between Death and Life thumbnail The Relationship Between Death and Life Death Can Cause Us to Live Life
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
 thumbnail Maude Adams Found Somewhere in Time
In My Life thumbnail In My Life I'll Never Lose Affection for People and Things
Don Quixote and Albert Einstein thumbnail Don Quixote and Albert Einstein The Two Dreamers
Worthless Windmills thumbnail Worthless Windmills Time Will Tell Their Worth
Learning from My Mentor thumbnail Learning from My Mentor A Knight-Errant On His Deathbed
Aladdin's Lamp thumbnail Aladdin's Lamp A Journey from Göreme to Crown Point
I Want to Have Dinner for Two  thumbnail I Want to Have Dinner for Two A Date and Someone Who Has Done the Dance
Einstein's Other Theory thumbnail Einstein's Other Theory From a Genius
Could I Have This Dance... thumbnail Could I Have This Dance... For the Rest of My Life?
Alex Failed... thumbnail Alex Failed... But Danced On.
What Drives Me? thumbnail What Drives Me? And the Answer Is....
Grave or No Grave thumbnail Grave or No Grave That is the Question
The Value of Dreaming thumbnail The Value of Dreaming About My List of Dulcineas
Somewhere in Time thumbnail Somewhere in Time The Importance of Memories
Talking with Vincent  thumbnail Talking with Vincent About Life and Art
A Pit Stop Can Be Our Destination thumbnail A Pit Stop Can Be Our Destination Don't Miss Your Destiny
"I'm Dying, and I'm Having Fun." Randy Pausch is Correct
The Gift of an Angel thumbnail The Gift of an Angel It is More About My Feelings
Don Quixote thumbnail Don Quixote Then and Now
Some People Feel the Rain thumbnail Some People Feel the Rain Others Just Get Wet.
Looking Back and Forward... thumbnail Looking Back and Forward... While Singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"