nouveau?

Some of my favorite kinds of moments are when everything in my perception is suddenly unfamiliar. The most general example of this I can think of is when I've been out of town and am driving back into Tucson, and my mind is somewhere else, and I don't recognize the roads and shops and views I commonly see. It's like it's new all over again to me; I guess I'm often that way with food, though I didn't consciously realize that till it was pointed out to me, but in a sense somehow yeah I guess food does seem kind of new to me each time I try it, even if it's something I eat practically every day. So I suppose in the end I'd take that observation as a really nice compliment, because I think it's good to do more than just go through the motions, and I'm happy to be more aware that I might have been acting that way even unconsciously. Or perhaps especially?

After I meditate, if I'm especially centered, I'm left with that unfamiliar feeling for a period of time. Unfamiliar isn't really the right word, though, I think that might have some negative connotation; more like everything's newer, and in being new again, and me consequently paying more attention, everything seems bright and fresh and interesting, even if it's just the subtle movements of the blinds across the window, or the red of the drapes in my room, or (and for some reason I love this in particular) the green of leaves swaying in a sunny breeze. Or this morning, I somehow woke up in a kind of new-state, and the first thing I saw was my girlfriend's lovely butt clad only in underwear, and that was something I was very happy to see all over again for the first time.