Something strange and awesome happened to me the other night on the walk home from the subway to my apartment. There was something different about my surroundings. The most obvious and quantifiable difference was the temperature; for the first time this year, it felt warm. It was around 9:15 pm, so it was dark, but having just been Daylight Savings, there was still a lightness about it. I crossed Franklin Ave. and rounded the corner, heading west on Union Street as a small brigade of police officers passed me by.

Suddenly, everything went into hyper-focus. It felt like the time I put glasses on. I could see before the intervention, but not really. Not like I was meant to. Rounding the corner then felt the same way. Like every other time I’ve done it has been sub-optimal. There was a notable sharpness to everything I saw as I looked around in wonder. The cornices of the apartment buildings. The melting heaps of snow and dirt on the ground. The dark blue night sky. The people walking on the other side of the street. I saw my surroundings, the familiar objects that I encounter at least twice per day, every day, differently tonight. More clearly. With a sense of awe. The only thing I could think on the final steps towards my apartment was: I CAN SEE! THIS IS AMAZING!

I don’t know why I had this feeling. I just started a new book about the psychology of optimal experience on the subway ride home (“Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). I suspect it had something to do with this. I also suspect it had to do with the temperature; being warm on a commute home is an entirely novel feeling to me, at least in this particular neighborhood. Being an unfamiliar (and pleasant) sensation, this put me on alert. It also probably had to do with the time of day; Wednesdays are my late day at work (instead of the normal 9:30-5:30 my schedule was 12-8) so I was coming home at a time I’m not exactly accustomed to. It also probably had to do with my mood. I felt good. Accomplished at work, well-fed, well-hydrated, and not too tired having gotten a good amount of sleep the night before. I was also listening to classical music. All of these things primed me for such an experience.

Still, though. While each of these factors probably had a small role to play in this experience, there was something else at work that I haven’t pinned down yet.