Tap, tap, tap go the footsteps. The small, yet, eager footsteps following the luring music. It didn’t matter if the music was coming from a block or more away, there would always be a ruckus among the neighborhood as children raced out of their houses with coins and crumpled singles holding onto dear life in their desperate, little hands. To think it all started because of one mouth-watering treat, a gift that can make one’s day...ice cream.
       

Growing up as a child was filled with countless days of waiting for the ice cream man to come down my street so I could have a refreshing snack after a long, productive day. Those were the days where flip phones were rare for children to have because it was uncommon for kids, like me, to have something that luxuriant. I was the most active and care-free person at that time and I didn’t worry when my feet would be stained black after running around outside and tip-toeing across rocks. I would easily be entertained with simple tools such as a shovel to dig a hole into the sand until it was big enough to fit everyone that helped dig. I wouldn’t stop playing until the sun went down and I heard the booming voice of my mother as she shouts across the street for me to come home and eat. After all that time; my only worry was how long I could stay outside. Each day, I would have outdoor adventures with a quick break in between where I would eat my Lucas Paleta that I had been waiting all morning to buy from the ice cream man.
       

When I ate my popsicle, there was no need to worry about what I posted or what latest phone I wanted because I was outside more than inside; there was no Netflix to tempt me to sit around all day and binge watch the latest shows. Years before receiving my first phone in junior high, I would never bring any devices outside other than my CD player or Game Boy to show my latest CDs and games to friends. My only goals were to skip every other bar on the monkey bars and be the fastest and most fiercest on my bike while riding with one hand.
       

I remember these little details in my childhood for they are what mold me as a person. I remind myself to value what may seem so insignificant today was once cherished. What remains unchanged is the environment for it will be there for future generations, and it’s up to me to decide with how I will use it to my own entertainment instead of gluing my eyes to a screen for hours.
     

 I remember my favorite popsicle as a child because it’s a constant reminder of the simplest times where it was alright to be outside all the time. The spicy, sweet, cold, electrifying taste will forever be a reminder of what it was like to be a child in a world that had yet to advance dramatically in technology. A time where the ice cream man was still cruising past houses that had many eager, young, energetic children ready to buy and devour their favorite flavors as I did with my popsicle. A popsicle that I will continue to believe in because of the memories it holds. I believe in Lucas Paletas.