I finally decided to get out of bed at around 10 a.m. today, having gotten tired of binge watching YouTube videos on tornadoes, “Macbeth” productions, Siberian huskies, flash floods, and avalanches.

I then walked to the kitchen to make my customary early a.m. coffee.

While it was brewing, I drifted to my den. I “clapped” on the aquarium light, fed my goldfish, and turned on my desktop.

Sensing that the coffee was ready, I turned around to walk back to the kitchen.

As I crossed the foyer, I stopped dead in my tracks.

A faint fragrance tickled my nose.

“What is that?” I thought. “Hmm…could it be?” I continued to wonder.

Slightly guessing what the source might be, I immediately turned left and walked towards the living room window, my suspicion growing stronger with each step.

With my left arm almost touching the living room wall, I turned my gaze to what I suspected was the origin of that scent.

I gasped as I saw what I had anticipated for weeks.

A gardenia flower bud finally opened!

“Wow!” I marvelled as my hand reached over, gently turning the flower towards me for complete appreciation of its glory.

With the fullness of its bloom, its fragrance, and the purity of its whiteness, the gardenia flower created a moment of euphoria. A moment which paled in comparison to exhilaration after scaling Mount Everest, jubilation for winning a Nobel prize, or exultation for inventing a cure for a disease.

Nonetheless, it was a significant moment in my simple and ordinary quest for happiness; all the more noteworthy during these times when even going out to pick up the mail was a tricky adventure in itself.

With its fragrance now permeating the entire house, I went back to my den to capture the moment in words on my desktop.

As I pounded on the keyboard, I attempted to enhance my appreciation of the event by heightening perception of my surroundings.

Peripherally to my left, I enjoyed watching my 14 goldfish swimming leisurely after a morning feed and to my right, I admired the peace lily’s attempt in nurturing its flower bud.

I appreciated the daylight naturally lighting up my desktop. I recognized the slight hum of the heater as its output increased my body circulation. I appreciated the tactile experience as my fingers touch typed the keys on the keyboard. I let my tastebuds relish the coffee as it energized me with each sip.

Just as I finished my article, I noticed a cardinal flapping its red wings on a branch of an oak tree which started as a wayward seed and was now a towering summer shade.

As I reached over for my iPhone, hoping to snap a photo for posterity, the cardinal flew away. Be that as it may, I was grateful for a fleeting sight of it.

The windy, gloomy outdoors somehow didn’t bother me anymore.