Everyone has someone in their life who has an obsession with coffee, no matter the time of day, they always have it by their side. For me, I have my Wegmans muffins. It may sound weird, but the joy and happiness that floods my body when I take the first bite is truly amazing. Everyone knows it is my daily routine. It wakes me up, like sunrise beaming through my window, in the form of a muffin. Now when I don’t have my muffin, for short, let’s just say the day doesn’t go well - you know, like missing your morning cup of Joe. I fall asleep, unable to focus, empty, depressed. As if a piece of me is missing. That’s how I feel about these muffins. It’s almost like I have a connection to the wonderful breakfast treat. It's a friend who never fails. Even though the muffin doesn’t have any caffeine, or a heartbeat, it has some type of psychological energy boost that wakes me up and fills my soul with happiness.

How does my muffin make me feel? Like a vacation from reality. As a highschool student I experience a lot. A great deal of stress, especially when you're supposed to get good grades, then meet with a teacher during your only break of the day, and then write an essay about muffins. But seriously, the extreme pressure from parents, keeping up with older siblings, or even getting a lot of homework and not having time for friends can really take a toll on anyone. But, at least, I have found my soulmate, my friend, my muffin.  When you’re at school you have to worry about the backpack weighing down on your back, the school-work that is due by 11:59 roaming through your head. When needing to relax or in need of a pick-me-up, the muffins are exactly what come to mind. Releasing the pressure off my shoulders and making me feel like a careless kid is the feeling I get when taking a bite of this delicious treat. 

One morning, upon stepping off the school bus for high school, per usual, the simple thought of the happiness yet to come completely brightens my mood. I walk into school and Mrs. G greets me with a “good morning”. 

“Not yet, not without my muffin”, I reply with a smirk. A grin covers her face, as she predicted that I would be thinking about this heavenly muffin. Mrs. G is my resource teacher so she helps me with my work. She has seen me go through lots of stress and is someone I can trust. She is aware of my morning ritual, as we converse about it all the time. These words let her know to let me get on with my routine. 

I walk up the stairs, turn into the second floor and see the open window sill waiting for me to sit on like a trusty old dog waiting for you to get home. Now, it is finally that time, the moment when content will fill my body, starting with my tastebuds. I eagerly pull out my lunch box, while I am sitting next to my friends, Bub and Chloe, as they watch the smile on my face go from ear to ear. As I quickly find, the sacred container, I knew it was precious. I look and see it. Taking it out of the golden bag, the delicious chocolate smell takes over my nostrils. I rip off the  wrapper. This is all I've been waiting for. Let’s face it’s the first thing that came to my mind right when I arose. There's a method - but I’m sure you expected this by now. First, I split it in half to inspect the delicious chocolate chips in between the moist breakfast cake. And then, piece by piece, I put the morsels into my mouth. Every last crumb. Typically, if someone asks me for a bite, I cannot look at them with anything but disgust. If you know me well enough, you know how important this muffin is to me. The audacity to ask me that question! Who do they think they are? 

Sometimes my mom, in an attempt to save a buck, will drive by Wegmans, the muffin kingdom, and proceed to the dreaded Costco. Sure, it may seem like eight muffins for $4.99 is a great bargain, but not when the muffins are terrible. Inevitably, once in a while, since my dad still packs my lunch, the muffin may be disgusting, but I won't know until it's too late. Complete muffin mayhem! Anger rises and makes my blood boil as my dreams turn to nightmares knowing it’s either a no muffin morning or a mediocre muffin day. After all these years, my parents still don’t understand the sheer level of importance the muffin has to me. Completely ignorant about habits that I developed, the sacred rituals that take place before and during the consumption of these tasty baked goods. Without the muffin, it is as if I'm in the woods with no map, completely lost, unable to escape.

People have routines, rituals and habits. They give a sense of security and control. For some, it’s spiritual, while others, it brings a sense of identity. But for me, it is what truly can change my mood in the blink of an eye. Some may call me crazy, or even the muffin man, call me whatever you want. But I will call myself lucky for knowing exactly what makes me happy and brings me joy, forever and always.