Thursday, November 25, 2010

Ode to Socks


Why socks are one of my son’s favorite things I don’t know. They are perhaps second only to his shoes. If it weren’t for socks though, I don’t think we could get him dressed in the morning. He despises getting dressed. Who can blame him really? Pajamas are soft, and warm, and comfy. But they have feet on them. To put socks on, pajamas must come off. So every morning we say, “Sawyer let’s go get socks!” He then goes and picks out a pair, the start of his day’s outfit.

I’m not sure how it’s happened, but I’ve become a sock snob of sorts. I don’t really like the implications: that I prefer, want, buy, or have something that’s expensive - a luxury item. That’s not how I intended to live, and I hesitate to even write about this because I want to be a good steward of my neighbor’s checkbook (as in, even if I can afford something fancy I should think twice because my friend maybe can’t or shouldn’t afford the same but will be interested because I have it). But here’s how it happened: As with most of my clothes and stuff, I always bought and wore whatever was cheapest. Then one day out with my good friend Paul we stumbled on some Patagonia Ultra-Lightweight socks for 70% off (at the same store where I later bought some Chacos for $15). We bought about 4-5 pairs each. That was almost 4 years ago. I’m wearing one of those pairs right now, and they are still my favorite socks! I’ve played basketball and golf in them, they’ve been on African safaris with me, hiked through gorges, mountains, beaches, and yet still here they are. I’ve worn and washed them at least 100 times each. I’ve since added to my collection Smartwool and Teko socks as well. Love them all. Worth it? Well, yeah.

When we were dating, I once asked JJ what she wanted for Christmas, and she said “socks.” I laughed. Thought it absurd. This was before my sock snobbery when I only bought packs of the cheapest, simplest ones out there. But I obliged and found some fun socks for her. Now it’s an annual event. And always a winning gift!

So as you can see, our family loves socks. Thus I present to you this Thanksgiving my Ode to Socks

Oh how I love socks,
Whether they’ve been around awhile
Or just out of the box,
Great socks always make me smile!

If I had to choose
Between red, orange, or gray,
I’d probably take the duller.
But my son who loves shoes,
When given his say,
Would always wear multicolor!

3 comments:

Kara Joy said...

Pretty funny, considering JJ hated socks as a kid. Well… hated the seam at the toes anyway. Most of her socks were missing part of the toes. Does she still do that??

Anonymous said...

So funny, that was exactly what I was going to say! I don't know how many stressful mornings were spent trying to find a pair of socks...withOUT seams...and that matched her outfit...PERFECTLY! I think she is the reason I only wear white socks, and only one type...no stress!

Jenni

Michael & Joe Joe said...

Ha. I guess most all of her socks now do not have seams. And no they are not missing toes or anything else... those get thrown away. With 1 new pair every Christmas, there's no reason to keep old holey things!