Bud-dies have been waiting at the gate, hoping I’d rise and make that morning magic, the one with nuts, fruits, seeds, all swirling in that rich, velvety parfait.

Please let it be the one, they whisper, barely daring to hope.

Guys… I think it’s happening. The gate is opening. Look! The spoon is full.

Oh my, this is going to be more than we can contain.

A collective sigh of bliss reverberates throughout the chamber.

It’s beyond tasty: crunchy and smooth, sweet and a little bitter, all at the same time.

“My favorite is the nuttiness of it all,” says Crunchy Carl, the portal clown. “Me and nutty are best buds.”

“Of course you are,” mutters Salty, the critic. “One spoonful and his corniness hits overdrive.”

“Shush, Salty,” whispers Syllabud, ever the poet. “To taste is to live.”

“Please,” snaps Tangy, ever the tart-tongued cynic. Pssst, Sugar, his pet name for Sweet Sally, for he always felt they were made for each other, the sour to her drippy sunshine. Are you hearing this? As usual, they’re babbling like a bunch of… Sugar, are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. This is just so hip-hip-horraylicious. Mmm, divine.”

Then, from somewhere deeper in the flavor field, Cordata, the savoriest, speaks with quiet command.

“We all know she depends on us, insists even, to soothe her palate. While I find her expectations for harmony a bit unrealistic, we’d better work together… or she might switch to boring, bland oatmeal. And not the brown sugar and cinnamon kind.”

A hushed gasp ripples through the buds.

“Oh man,” Crunchy Carl whispers. “I miss that flavor.”

I sigh. “Cordata, I’m not looking for a peace summit. I just wanted breakfast.”

More… more… MORE!

Their chant elevates into a culinary rebellion.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I mutter. “You all are so dramatic.”

I scoop another spoonful, partly to appease them, partly because, well, they’re not wrong.

“Here. This should soothe your almost obnoxious senses.”

“Oh, quite contrary,” they cry. “The senses are fixing to explode with deliciousness!”

I shake my head, smiling.

Ahhhhhh.

I lift the final spoonful, realizing the last bite is always the hardest to swallow. “My cherished buddies, brace yourselves. Let’s remember that life is scrumptious, joyfully absurd, and entirely worth waking up for. Now, here it comes.” Their swoons, sighs, and giggles said it all.

And in unison, they all agreed.