Years ago, my construction company picked up a job two hours away from where I lived. I could have stayed in a motel near the site, but we'd just had our first kid, and I wanted to be able to see him every night. So that became my ritual in the morning: up at 3:30, check on my son, and then out the door at 4:15. And every morning I'd stop at the same McDonald's and go in for my coffee and my Egg McMuffin. They always had a smile for me, and it always felt like I was starting my day out right.