“What’s that, Dad?” Emma asked as I fiddled with the controller and zoomed the camera out wide. The sensations on my tongue were only in two dimensions, like a line drawing on a piece of paper. As I concentrated, I thought I felt a body and some protruding sticks that might be legs. “Is that Willa?” I asked, popping out the tongue display and kneeling down to touch the furry coat of my guide dog.

Emma and Arjun decided to take me around the house in a game of “Stump Blind Daddy.”

One of the objects really confused me. It started with a stick pointing straight up. On top was a tiny blob with a sharp point that danced around in a crazy way. I was reaching out to investigate further when Emma yelled, “Stop! That’s the flame of a candle.”

“I remember those days when I used to tell you not to reach out toward the hot stove,” I said. “Guess now it’s my turn.”

I next moved into the kitchen and looked down at the counter. The tingling on my tongue became a small circle connected to a rectangular peg. The circle was more defined around the edges.

“Coffee cup?” I asked.

“That’s too easy,” Emma said. “Now try to grab it.” It was hard enough to interpret my surroundings, but it was even harder for my brain to translate the tactile information on my tongue into perspective and dimension. It all took time and practice, like learning a new language, and it was mentally exhausting as I stretched to put the pieces together.

Using the hand controller, I zoomed in and out on the mug, and matched how big it was on my tongue versus where it was in space. I put my hand out until it enveloped the cup. Then I eased my hand down. It landed lightly on top of the handle. I lifted it up and, with a smile, took a sip of Ellie’s coffee.