--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized I still had my eyes shut. I…" description: "\"“I realized I still had my eyes shut. I had shut them when I put my face to the screen, like I was scared to look outside. Now I had to open them. I lo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg" --- # I realized I still had my eyes shut. I had shut them when… ![“I realized I still had my eyes shut. I had shut them when I put my face to the screen, like I was scared to look outside. Now I had to open them. I looked out the window and saw for the first time how the hospital was out in the country. The moon was low in the sky over the pastureland; the face…” quote by Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg) > ““I realized I still had my eyes shut. I had shut them when I put my face to the screen, like I was scared to look outside. Now I had to open them. I looked out the window and saw for the first time how the hospital was out in the country. The moon was low in the sky over the pastureland; the face of it was scarred and scuffed where it had just torn up out of the snarl of scrub oak and madrone trees on the horizon. The stars up close to the moon were pale; they got brighter and braver the farther they got out of the circle of light ruled by the giant moon. It called to mind how I noticed the exact same thing when I was off on a hunt with Papa and the uncles and I lay rolled in blankets Grandma had woven, lying off a piece from where the men hunkered around the fire as they passed a quart jar of cactus liquor in a silent circle. I watched that big Oregon prairie moon above me put all the stars around it to shame. I kept awake watching, to see if the moon ever got dimmer or if the stars got brighter, till the dew commenced to drift onto my cheeks and I had to pull a blanket over my head. Something moved on the grounds down beneath my window — cast a long spider of shadow out across the grass as it ran out of sight behind a hedge. When it ran back to where I could get a better look, I saw it was a dog, a young, gangly mongrel slipped off from home to find out about things went on after dark. He was sniffing digger squirrel holes, not with a notion to go digging after one but just to get an idea what they were up to at this hour. He’d run his muzzle down a hole, butt up in the air and tail going, then dash off to another. The moon glistened around him on the wet grass, and when he ran he left tracks like dabs of dark paint spattered across the blue shine of the lawn. Galloping from one particularly interesting hole to the next, he became so took with what was coming off — the moon up there, the night, the breeze full of smells so wild makes a young dog drunk — that he had to lie down on his back and roll. He twisted and thrashed around like a fish, back bowed and belly up, and when he got to his feet and shook himself a spray came off him in the moon like silver scales. He sniffed all the holes over again one quick one, to get the smells down good, then suddenly froze still with one paw lifted and his head tilted, listening. I listened too, but I couldn’t hear anything except the popping of the window shade. I listened for a long time. Then, from a long way off, I heard a high, laughing gabble, faint and coming closer. Canada honkers going south for the winter. I remembered all the hunting and belly-crawling I’d ever done trying to kill a honker, and that I never got one. I tried to look where the dog was looking to see if I could find the flock, but it was too dark. The honking came closer and closer till it seemed like they must be flying right through the dorm, right over my head. Then they crossed the moon — a black, weaving necklace, drawn into a V by that lead goose. For an instant that lead goose was right in the center of that circle, bigger than the others, a black cross opening and closing, then he pulled his V out of sight into the sky once more. I listened to them fade away till all I could hear was my memory of the sound.”” [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a moment of awakening to the natural world beyond the confines of a hospital, using vivid night imagery and a wandering dog to illustrate curiosity and the pull of the unknown. **In simple terms:** Seeing beyond immediate surroundings awakens wonder and curiosity. Key Takeaway Open your senses to the world beyond your walls. Themes awakening curiosity nature reflection Mood contemplative nostalgic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - hospital stay - nighttime contemplation - observing wildlife - personal introspection Key Concepts existential awareness sensory perception transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How does stepping outside routine change your perspective? - What does the dog’s curiosity teach about living fully? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize isolation, overlooking the harsh realities of illness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Moon night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-night/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) ## Related quotes > [“I realized I still had my eyes shut. 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I don't know it at the time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-elliot/i-notice-i-am-taking-risks-with-my-own-security-and-losing-my/) Jason Elliot > [There is no light painting or dark painting, but simply relations of tones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/there-is-no-light-painting-or-dark-painting-but-simply-relations-of/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [My favorite thing to see that I've been surprised at is watching the moon rises and moon sets that just move so fast it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mcclain/my-favorite-thing-to-see-that-i-ve-been-surprised-at-is-watching-the/) [Anne McClain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mcclain/) > [“Home is watching the moon rise over the open, sleeping land and having someone you can call to the window, so you can look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/home-is-watching-the-moon-rise-over-the-open-sleeping-land-and-having/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Ken Kesey > [“Time overlaps itself. 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Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men faint from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The frontiers we broke into in the '60s are still largely unexplored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-frontiers-we-broke-into-in-the-60s-are-still-largely-unexplored/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [There's something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-something-about-taking-a-plow-and-breaking-new-ground-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The best of all possible cages.' Ben stepped back to regard the job with a sad smile. 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I wasn't even really me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/that-ain-t-me-that-ain-t-my-face-it-wasn-t-even-me-when-i-was-trying/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [But if the strength ain't real, I recall thinking the very last thing that day, before I finally passed out, then the weakness sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-if-the-strength-ain-t-real-i-recall-thinking-the-very-last-thing/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“They think they know the book by its cover, but the book knows what it is. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/it-s-gonna-burn-me-just-that-way-finally-telling-about-all-this-about/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [When Shakespeare was writing, he wasn't writing for stuff to lie on the page; it was supposed to get up and move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/when-shakespeare-was-writing-he-wasn-t-writing-for-stuff-to-lie-on/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Explore all 295 Ken Kesey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## More Descriptions quotes > [I don't believe in reducing a style and a voice down to a set of descriptions, so I've never done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-don-t-believe-in-reducing-a-style-and-a-voice-down-to-a-set-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Discovered W. Somerset Maugham in about 5th grade. Didn't understand the plots, but loved the descriptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/discovered-w-somerset-maugham-in-about-5th-grade-didn-t-understand/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [“So here we are, in the family planning aisle with a cart full of sports drinks and our hands full of . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/so-here-we-are-in-the-family-planning-aisle-with-a-cart-full-of/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [“When God reveals a secret to you, it becomes the job description of your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-paul-gitwaza/when-god-reveals-a-secret-to-you-it-becomes-the-job-description-of/) [Dr Paul Gitwaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-paul-gitwaza/) > [One of the things that frequently gets lost in descriptions of depression is that the depressed person often knows that it is a ludicrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-of-the-things-that-frequently-gets-lost-in-descriptions-of/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [One cannot be too careful in the selection of adjectives for descriptions. Words or compounds which describe precisely, and which convey exactly the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/one-cannot-be-too-careful-in-the-selection-of-adjectives-for/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“Feral beauty tangled up and over every surface. Enormous vines and flourishing blooms swathed the area creating a shadowy, organic cathedral. A faint whiff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-patricks/feral-beauty-tangled-up-and-over-every-surface-enormous-vines-and/) [Jacqueline Patricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-patricks/) > [“The sky was turning the color of a fresh bruise as we pulled into my grandfather's subdivision, a bewildering labyrinth of interlocking cul-de-sacs known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/the-sky-was-turning-the-color-of-a-fresh-bruise-as-we-pulled-into-my/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [I've seen descriptions of advanced TV systems in which a simulation of reality is computer-controlled; the TV viewer of the future will wear a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-ve-seen-descriptions-of-advanced-tv-systems-in-which-a-simulation/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Multiple descriptions are better than one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/multiple-descriptions-are-better-than-one/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Every change of scene requires new expositions, descriptions, explanations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/every-change-of-scene-requires-new-expositions-descriptions/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The world is out there, but descriptions of the world are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/the-world-is-out-there-but-descriptions-of-the-world-are-not/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [As a man may know about Africa either by going there personally or by reading descriptions written by travelers who have been there, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/as-a-man-may-know-about-africa-either-by-going-there-personally-or-by/) [Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/) > [I spent a lot of time on my own working out the physical vocabulary for how Gollum moved. As I say, I drew on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-my-own-working-out-the-physical-vocabulary/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [It's no longer possible to simply build English country houses out of words, because they've already been so thoroughly described that all the applicable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-s-no-longer-possible-to-simply-build-english-country-houses-out-of/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) Browse all 52 Descriptions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I realized I still had my eyes shut. I had shut them when I put my face to the screen, like I was scared to look outside. Now I had to open them. I looked out the window and saw for the first time how the hospital was out in the country. The moon was low in the sky over the pastureland; the face of it was scarred and scuffed where it had just torn up out of the snarl of scrub oak and madrone trees on the horizon. The stars up close to the moon were pale; they got brighter and braver the farther they got out of the circle of light ruled by the giant moon. It called to mind how I noticed the exact same thing when I was off on a hunt with Papa and the uncles and I lay rolled in blankets Grandma had woven, lying off a piece from where the men hunkered around the fire as they passed a quart jar of cactus liquor in a silent circle. I watched that big Oregon prairie moon above me put all the stars around it to shame. I kept awake watching, to see if the moon ever got dimmer or if the stars got brighter, till the dew commenced to drift onto my cheeks and I had to pull a blanket over my head. Something moved on the grounds down beneath my window — cast a long spider of shadow out across the grass as it ran out of sight behind a hedge. When it ran back to where I could get a better look, I saw it was a dog, a young, gangly mongrel slipped off from home to find out about things went on after dark. He was sniffing digger squirrel holes, not with a notion to go digging after one but just to get an idea what they were up to at this hour. He’d run his muzzle down a hole, butt up in the air and tail going, then dash off to another. The moon glistened around him on the wet grass, and when he ran he left tracks like dabs of dark paint spattered across the blue shine of the lawn. Galloping from one particularly interesting hole to the next, he became so took with what was coming off — the moon up there, the night, the breeze full of smells so wild makes a young dog drunk — that he had to lie down on his back and roll. He twisted and thrashed around like a fish, back bowed and belly up, and when he got to his feet and shook himself a spray came off him in the moon like silver scales. He sniffed all the holes over again one quick one, to get the smells down good, then suddenly froze still with one paw lifted and his head tilted, listening. I listened too, but I couldn’t hear anything except the popping of the window shade. I listened for a long time. Then, from a long way off, I heard a high, laughing gabble, faint and coming closer. Canada honkers going south for the winter. I remembered all the hunting and belly-crawling I’d ever done trying to kill a honker, and that I never got one. I tried to look where the dog was looking to see if I could find the flock, but it was too dark. The honking came closer and closer till it seemed like they must be flying right through the dorm, right over my head. Then they crossed the moon — a black, weaving necklace, drawn into a V by that lead goose. For an instant that lead goose was right in the center of that circle, bigger than the others, a black cross opening and closing, then he pulled his V out of sight into the sky once more. I listened to them fade away till all I could hear was my memory of the sound.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-had-shut-them-when-i-put-my-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Descriptions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-had-shut-them-when-i-put-my-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/ken-kesey-1034_descriptions_i-realized-i-still-had-my-eyes-shut-i-ha_2510843.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I realized I still had my eyes shut. 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