Ripped Off

this morning i asked my fellow carriers "So, what's the official postal etiquette for dealing with the candy that the kids dropped last night..do we leave it or pick it up?" The universal answer was "Look both ways to make sure nobody is looking, then pick it up!"
I love being a mail carrier on Nov. 1st.
It's like getting paid to go on one big, long, easter egg hunt.
It's kind of like fishing too, because you really don't know what you're going to find out there. You could hit the mother lode or maybe you'll just get a nibble.
so off i went with visions of fun size Snickers bars filling my head.
i got shut out on the first street and started bumming.
then i told myself to relax and focus..and reassured myself that the candy would come.
second street..NOTHING.
admittedly, my vision ain't what it use to be, but when it comes to seeing an orphaned piece of candy laying in the grass, i'm like a god darn hawk!
finally, after an hour of agonising, i hit two pieces in one bundle..( OK ..one was Smarties..which doesn't really count because it's not chocolate..but at least i was making some headway!)
that put some spring back in my step. the hunt was on.
sadly, the rest of the route was a complete and total bust.
talk about dejection.
i felt like the dude that goes to the beach with his metal detector hoping to find a Rolex watch and comes home with two bottle caps and a nickle.
now i know how charlie brown felt in that scene from The Great Pumpkin when he went trick or treating and all he got was a rock.
there was one bit of silver lining to this dark cloud.
i did get a big smile on my face when i thought of all the adorable little children that innocently trampled across Ms. Ribble's lawn the night before.
so much for her "DO NOT CROSS LAWN" order!