Lollipop man

I lived in West Orange New Jersey from the ages of 1-8. On summer nights all the neighborhood kids would file onto the sidewalks after dinner while the parents all sat on their porches. On our block lived an older gentleman who we called the ‘lollipop man’. Every night he would come out with a long strand of lollipops wrapped around his neck and we would all go running up to him in hopes of being the first one to get our favorite flavored lollipop. I remember fantasizing as a kid how I would like to someday grow up and be the lollipop man. Every kid loved the lollipop man and he brought smiles and happiness to so many. I used to think, I would love to bring that kind of joy into people lives. Fast forward some 55 years later, and I feel like my dream of being the lollipop man has come to fruition! Every night as we put the residents into place for the night, I fill my pockets with treats. They are all wise to this and come running to me for a treat. In them I see the excitement I felt all those years ago. They all jockey for position trying to be the first to get a treat. The goats and sheep tend to run full speed towards me while the donkeys will meander down to meet me in a single file line. The pigs just oink when they see me coming and wait anxiously. The cows stand by the fence giving me their big sad eyes until I give them an oatmeal cookie. I can say that I am living my dream of being ‘my’ version of the lollipop man and feels just the way I imagined it when I was a young boy!