About 20 years ago my father had laser eye surgery.  

He wore glasses almost his entire life and with this surgery he was suddenly free from them. 

I remember how he would tell me how interesting everything looked. How everything was clear - colours were more vibrant, words on the page were easily read, how the ordinary seemed extraordinary. 

I couldn’t relate at the time, as I didn’t wear glasses. 

However, later in my life, as I lived abroad and began travelling extensively, I began to understand his revelation. 

In a new place, everything seems unique and novel. This novelty gives a sense of vividness and heightened awareness. Each building, person, and experience, has a freshness about it.  

Getting groceries has new meaning.  

Riding the subway doesn’t feel like I’m just riding the subway. 

Meeting strangers on a bus tour launches new friendships in a way that meeting new colleagues at work often doesn’t.  

I’ve thought a lot about this during the pandemic.  

Seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new things is exciting. Travel makes that possible. 

The greater challenge is bringing that freshness, clarity, and wonder to the things I normally experience.  

It is our natural instinct to overlook something that is deeply familiar. We automatically tend to dull our everyday experiences. 

So how can we develop a freshness when going through everyday life? How can we see things with fresh eyes and actively engage in our experiences? 

I have begun to challenge myself to notice subtle variations. I question myself on what I’m experiencing. I don’t overanalyze the experience but rather question or observe it with curiosity. I try to find the unusual in the usual. 

This isn’t easy to do, and I often forget to do it. 

But I have found that as I cultivate clarity, I see changes in my work and my relationships. I am more alert and less prone to zone out. And when I do get distracted, I find it easier to come back to attention. 

I also notice that this increased focus or intensity changes my mood or emotion, bringing a heightened engagement to my hobbies or even listening to music.  

It has made a big difference. 

As a challenge, I invite you to give this a try today. Try to view a situation or experience with fresh eyes.  

You too may begin to notice sensory sharpness and subtle new realities within your everyday experience. It may increase your focus and your attention. If nothing else, it will be an experiment.  

Give it a try and see what happens.