From the President’s Desk: The power of the Egg McMuffin

Growing up without much money, I missed out on a lot of the “fun” stuff other kids at school took for granted. Trips to Cedar Point, weekends on a Michigan lake, video game systems, and cable television were foreign to me for a long time. My family’s version of a fancy night out – which I eagerly looked forward to – was driving one town over to dine at Olive Garden! Still, thanks to my mom’s commitment and sacrifice, my siblings and I always had what we needed, and I look back on those years with incredible joy and fondness. 

By middle school, we could afford small luxuries like fast food. One of my favorite treats was a McDonald’s breakfast. If I had to face a particularly tough challenge that day (like the dreaded three-day-long Michigan Educational Assessment Placement tests) or had something big to celebrate (in my case, the three-day-long Michigan Educational Assessment Placement tests), my mom would swing through McDonald’s on the way to school.

I always ordered the same thing: a Sausage McMuffin with Egg (which my mom and I rebelliously referred to as a “Sausage McMuffin” – see r/McDonalds if you’re curious), a hash brown, and a small orange juice. There was something incredible about enjoying a warm breakfast that someone else had made. As my mom ate her meal in the driver’s seat, I could tell she felt the same way.

Even when I reached high school, the power of the McMuffin reigned supreme among all other treats. On a half day, class ended at 10:27 a.m. My friends and I would drop our books and binders, bolt to the parking lot, and floor it to the McDonald’s one mile away, hoping to get breakfast before it ended at 10:30 a.m.

Now that I’m well beyond high school and living the Real Adult Life, I rarely eat at McDonald’s. I know it’s bad for me, and people with better taste would say that food from a greasy paper bag does not qualify as a “meal” anyway.

But, I do sometimes go back for breakfast – usually when I know I have a tough, draining day ahead. Unwrapping that little sandwich and crunching through a hash brown almost feels inspirational. It brings back all those moments when I needed a boost of hope, and my mom knew it. It might sound crazy, but a McMuffin reminds me that I CAN get through the hard times. That I do have what it takes to succeed.

What are the simple things in your life that feel like a celebration? More importantly, how can you use what you already have to lift up those around you? Recognition, praise, and appreciation do not have to cost a thing, but they can mean everything when delivered at the right time. My challenge to you is this:  find ways you can use your precious resources to make someone feel valued and give them strength!

My mom didn’t have much to spread among herself, me, and my two younger sisters, but that never stopped her from rewarding us when she was proud or encouraging us when we needed it. Forget parenting books. She had a drive-through and some hydrogenated oil. It wasn’t advice; it didn’t come from a leadership class, and it wasn’t a textbook play – it was just her way of showing us how she felt. To this day, that cheap breakfast is still a reward for me. The Sausage McMuffin will always be my favorite greasy incentive to do my best with whatever the day brings.

P.S. If you're one of the people who prefer “drive-thru” to “drive-through,” please consult Merriam-Webster to fully understand the pain you’ve inflicted on the English language.