Sunday, May 31, 2009

Socks (Free-write from 5.28.09)

Socks have a way of sneaking up on me, hiding there under the dust ruffle of my daughter's bed. There's another pair, dirty and inside-out, beside the grass-stained shoes Loula Belle wore to mow the lawn.

I wonder if socks started the game of hide-and-seek. I can almost hear some ancient, befuddled housewife mumbling to herself, "Now where is the match to this sorry black sock?"

If I were a sock, where would I hide?

At the bottom of a sleeping bag that will soon be stuffed and stored until the next camping trip.

Wadded up at the toe of a soggy snow boot.

Tucked under the covers at the foot of the bed.

Hidden in plain sight at the back of the drawer containing clean and sorted socks.

Or, just maybe I'd start a game of Sardines and slide between the wrap-over cushion at the end of the couch. As one end fills with fellow dingy and worn siblings, some would need to hide together at the other end of the couch.

Those sardine socks stayed hidden for years. I only found them when we sold the house. Needing a better grip when moving the couch, I slid my arm into the wrap-over sanctuary. There were almost a dozen socks. Which, by the way, no longer even fit the boy who had hidden them there.

Did the invention of modern laundry methods increase the amount of missing socks? Or did socks go AWOL before the introduction of the electric dryer?

In societies and cultures that wear only sandals, what goes missing instead of socks? Are there even societies that don't wear socks? Are there mothers somewhere who have never even seen a sock?

If such a place exists, I just might consider moving there.

5 comments:

Angie said...

Love that post! Socks drive me crazy... I'm never sure when to actually throw out those singles!! But every once in a while... usualy when kids say they need socks washed I pull out my huge bag of singles (which at any given moment may contain upwards of 50)... and remind my kids that if they found the matches to all of these babies they would never have to ask for socks again!

Flashlight Girl said...

Socks are disposable. At least that's what my children think. And sometimes their father, too. However, I've started buying the same style of socks for certain people in my house. That way when one sock goes missing or gets a hole, I'm almost always certain to have a lonely single of the same style to pair it up with.

holly said...

I'm loving the post, mostly because I just found one of Caden's socks under the couch cushions and shoved in between the arm and the base of the couch.

Small House said...

AMEN! Socks make me crazy. You're never quite done when socks are involved.

Have a great day.
Sandra

Suko said...

Terrific post, Christie!

Thank goodness my daughters don't mind wearing mismatched socks. Today I even joined them, and wore two different low-cut socks for my morning walk. : )