Socks

There are certain things of a very simple and basic nature which have effect on us of such disproportionate degree that it's really hard to believe that only I think much about them. Others I know at least a few have considered them, if not the general populace. I'm reminded of a classic comic drawn by Bill Mauldin, who was known for the battle-weary soldier characters he created during World War Two.  To paraphrase and capture the gist of it: One tells the other, "You saved my life yesterday, so I'm giving you my last clean, dry pair of socks".

Socks are of immeasurable value, and I got to thinking about them a bit when I acquired a new package of them for the first time in quite a long time. I'm loathe to buy new socks. There's no excitement in that. On the plus side, fitting them is no issue whatsoever, and you know how I feel about that if you've read anything here before. There's no excitement, though. That's a problem. The pairs of socks in my wardrobe go down one by one, done in by holes and an inability to quickly match them with their mate.

 I'm not some hack comedian who muses about the fate of the other sock. I know what happens to them and have no interest in discussing it. I'm somewhat interest in the inexorable attrition which wears down a supply of socks for which there is no repair or recourse.On the value of fresh socks expressed in that comic: It's truly a transcendent experience even outside of combat. To be able to do that is to extend one's ability to function almost as much as to sleep is.

I love a clean, dry pair of socks, and I love a pair that have distinctive markings. I still have a pair of my Boy Scout socks, and I always wear them soon after the wash, because they're so easy to spot and match. A couple of other pairs are like that. I love them, and am inclined to wear them with shorts to make sure I get full value out of the wearing. After those, I start flying into fits of rage when I can't get together a pair quickly. My standard of what constitutes a match falls rapidly at that point, and I make sure to wear long pants a lot even in weather that would call for something else.