The burden of socks

Socks…lone, mateless socks, forlornly relegated to a basket of perpetual loss…

Recently overhearing a conversation regarding these lost, knitted souls, I was struck by the metaphoric overtones and have since been giving this a lot of thought. Maybe I do need to get a life…see, this is what happens when I’m not free to write for extended periods…I start finding meaning in everything.

I keep hearing Forrest Gump’s voice…“Life is like a basket of socks...you never know when you’ll find the perfect mate” or “you spend more time worrying about what you’ve lost than appreciating what you have” or “we’re stronger together than apart” or…ok, ok, I’ll stop.

Let’s move past the Gumpisms and get to the guts of this post. I grew up with a sock basket, and for reasons I didn’t understand as a child, it always bothered me. The basket was never empty, there were always mateless socks. Obviously, a sock wormhole existed in our house. Somewhere, in unknown parts of the world or space, lone socks spewed freely from emptiness, bewildering passersby.

When I left home, I vowed to never have a sock basket—I finally understood its effect on me. You can’t relax with a sock basket—it’s a constant reminder of imperfection, a job unfinished, irritation toward sock owners, probable wasted money.

Soooo, I found the perfect solution and have never wasted a minute on socks…until recently. But when I finish this post, my sock thoughts are outta here!

I buy everyone in my family unique, white, sports socks—believe it or not, there are enough different types. I wash, then sort them into individual piles, never worrying about pairs. Each person’s socks look identical, they just pull two from their drawer and go—no one cares if there is an uneven number, it doesn’t make any difference.

I’ve never made a more liberating decision—all the socks in our house are worn regularly…what a concept! If you’re weighted down by a sock basket, consider recycling or tossing it, set yourself free…there are other more important things to worry about in life, I promise :)