Fries at the Bottom of the Bag
How a fast food drive-through changed my life.
Growing up, I used to love going to McDonald’s.
I loved playing in the playground, getting the value meal toys, and how it felt to ‘go out to eat.’
And then life gets busy, and you forget about some of your favorite things to do from your childhood. But when I began pursuing acting and reflecting more deeply on my life experiences, I remembered how much those moments really meant to me.
After every soccer game, a value meal.
For a special occasion, a value meal.
Friday nights on the way to the mall to go shopping, a value meal.
What was that special place for you?
I remembered going through the drive-through with my mom, my mentor, my hero, and my best friend to get a value meal, and the joy we shared as I handed her the fries at the bottom of the bag.
We all know those leftover fries at the bottom are bomb for several reasons:
They’re unexpected
They’re the tastiest.
They’re best when shared.
This moment of reflection led me to write a poem called “Fries at the Bottom of the Bag,” which spoke toward those special moments and good times with my mom, which we often overlook in the moment, only to look back upon and savor.
Years later, she was diagnosed with cancer, and I became her caretaker. For a few years, we battled and fought together, and ultimately, she passed.
It was one of the most challenging moments of my life and one of the primary reasons I started Gents Journey, as I needed a safe space to heal from all that pain.
When I went to her estate to clean out her house, I remember opening a large clear bag and seeing something at the bottom. Lo and behold, it was McDonald’s fries, not actual ones (although I’ve heard they can last a long time), but a small Happy Meal cell phone shaped like a fry container. I was floored.
I like to think it was my late mom giving me her fries at the bottom of the bag, as a way of showing me that love never ends and she’ll always be with me.
Now, as a proud #GirlDad, I give my daughters any remaining fries as a small reminder for me to remember that we are creating life’s most valuable memories right before our eyes.
Hopefully, this reminds you to be present, to give gifts, and to remember to cherish every moment, because we never know when we might share that last fry.
The good times are here, now, and it’s up to us to recognize them before they’re gone.
If this resonated with you, please share with someone you’ve given your last fry to, and comment with your favorite childhood restaurant.
Gratefully,
Stephen Seidel & The Gents