Everything came crashing to a head as I was putting laundry away yesterday. Specifically when I got to the socks. As I looked at all our orphan socks laying there all sad and limp, I remembered an interview I read years ago about a guy whose book was being made into a movie.
The interviewer asked him, “What do you did with your first big check?”
He replied, “I went to my sock drawer, threw out all my socks and bought a ton of matching black ones.”
Ever since reading that quote, I've been jealous of him. Not only because he wrote a decent book, but also because he couldn't have chosen anything more incredible to buy. His socks were the measure of his success. And by that standard, he was doing quite well.
Then there's my socks. I'm looking at about 31 pairs of unmatched socks. Do I ever throw them away? No, I can't. Not yet. I'm holding onto them with the hope I'll find the missing one soon. It's that same hope that I have to write a book someday. Either of those things might never happen, but I'm dramatic enough to keep my singleton socks in an old suitcase in my closet. Because you better believe, the day I write and publish that book, there's going to be a hell of a sock purge. And what will I replace them with? I'm thinking orange polka-dot ones.
Socks: The measure of my success. I can't wait for the day.
via Design Mom
the missing socks drive me batty. i have a stack in my drawer too and of course they're all day-glo 80s that you can't possibly wear together. i'm always threatening to just buy all the same gray socks, but i can never pull the trigger. my husband, on the other hand, couldn't care less that none of his socks match. he fully embraces it with gusto. i am more jealous of that then the guy who knows he wants matching socks.
ReplyDeletehttp://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2013/10/genetics.html
I just wear mismatched socks now and claim I'm hip. I love that video with Ira Glass. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool post! My husbands mismatched socks drive me nuts.
ReplyDeleteSo great! So this missing sock thing is international? Where do they all go? One day, I had my husband (quite the handyman) take apart the washing machine, because the missing socks were driving me crazy. I thought they had to be stuck somewhere in there. So he did, and found none.
ReplyDeleteNow if I don't find the missing sock after a week, I just throw it out!
Good one Sharon!!! I totally agree with you! D
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what happens to all those socks that go missing ?
ReplyDeleteYou really can create a meaningful blog post (soon to become book-I can bet on that!) out of anything small/ordinary/common Sharon ;)
ReplyDeleteMy husband had this bright idea years ago. He has all black socks with maybe a handful of argyle. It seems so boring but he is definitely less stressed. Ha!
ReplyDeleteA hugely talented actor friend of mine once had to take his shoes off in an improv show. His clearly mismatched socks elicited a huge "awwww!" from the crowd. Since then, I wear my mismatched orphans together and assume I'd get the same reaction. I haven't heard otherwise yet!
ReplyDeletethat ira glass video is awesome. it's like the life advice i've always wanted. i didn't know anyone felt similar to me when it comes to my creative work. i feel validated and inspired. thanks for that.
ReplyDeletethat ira glass video is awesome. it's like the life advice i've always wanted. i didn't know anyone felt similar to me when it comes to my creative work. i feel validated and inspired. thanks for that.
ReplyDeletethat ira glass video is awesome. it's like the life advice i've always wanted. i didn't know anyone felt similar to me when it comes to my creative work. i feel validated and inspired. thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteawesome. i loved this. mainly because that's how i feel about writing a book, and also because, yeah, fancy socks. that's when you know you've got it made. ;)
ReplyDelete