Have you ever had one of those moments when, briefly, you become hyper-aware of absolutely everything?

I was sitting down having a cup of tea, and it suddenly struck me. Every sense was on overdrive.

I could taste each individual ingredient that made up my personal blend of Kashmiri chai. I had never had the spices jump out like they did. The saffron. The cinnamon. A touch too much star anise. I must remedy that, I thought.

Over the aroma of my tea, I could smell the freshly cut grass from the park up the street. Someone was having a barbecue nearby. Perhaps I would bring out steaks for dinner. Surprise my fiancee.

The world was a riot of colour. Shades and patterns that had always been there, but I never noticed. The bright yellow of my neighbour’s daughter’s dress. I had seen her playing in it numerous times, and had never noticed the small, white flowers on it. Today, however, they stood out like stars on a clear, moonless night. And the deep purple of the African violets that grew in my front yard.