I had the whole thing just reoccur to me once when I was in my thirties. I was outside tending my kiln and I looked up at the moon. I could tell what was causing the phase by the angle of the just set sun.

But more than that, few things can give you a sense of the immense distances quite like realizing the angle and distance the sun has to be from the moon in order to create the phases. Observing it that chilly winter evening, it took my breath away.

Oh, and it's not blue cheese. It's a potato.