I remember the phrase “sock it to me” from my
childhood days in the 1960s. I was a big fan of the television show Rowan and
Martin’s “Laugh In.” Now that I’m older I have a different “sock it to me”
tradition. Shortly after Thanksgiving I don my Christmas socks. I don’t know
why, but this annual event makes me happy.
Last year my holiday stockings were so full of holes
that I had to send them to sock heaven to live with all the other socks that
disappear from the clothes dryer. Before I let my little tootsie warmers move on
to that great sock and underwear drawer in the sky, I bought two replacement
pairs. One is black with a red and white leaf design (holly?) and the other is decorated
with white snowflakes against a blue sky.
Of course living in sunny Arizona I rarely see holly
wreaths (unless they are plastic) and spotting snowflakes would be a rare occurrence.
But I don’t care, it’s officially the holiday season and my Christmas socks are
out for all to behold. In fact, due to our warm weather (80 degrees) I’m
wearing my socks with shorts making them even more visible than usual.
There would’ve been a time when I would have been too
embarrassed to show my socks off to the world. They usually hide under a pair
of khaki pants or jeans, but the older I become the less I worry about wardrobe
rules. I can just let the world think I’m a golfer. That is the one sport where
it is almost a requirement to wear odd color combinations. And what is up with
putting the equivalent of stuffed
animals on your clubs? Just saying.
But back to my sock saga.
My love of socks goes back for decades. Maybe it’s
because it was one of the few things that were not hand-me-downs from my older
sister Diane. I inherited her clothes, but mom drew the line at making me wear
Diane’s old socks, underwear and shoes.
When I was in high school I conducted a sock
celebration of my own -sockerjacks. My mom packed my lunch and sometimes I would
get a box of cracker jacks. Algebra was the class after lunch. I would have the
guys who sat near me show off their socks (the girls didn’t participate because
we had a dress code and they all wore nylons with their dresses.) Anyway,
whoever had the loudest socks would win the crackerjack prize.
Even my algebra teacher, Mr. Reid, participated. In
fact he even won the prize on occasion. He was the golf coach and almost always
wore a white shirt, tie and dark slacks with white socks, but occasionally he would show his wild side and don a pair of
bright yellow or lime green socks. I never did figure out if he wanted to win
the prize or his wife hadn’t gotten around to doing the laundry.
Other participants included Robert Respass and Lynn
Sterling, two burly men from the football team, and Curt Hall, who I believe
was a wrestler. We had a lot of jocks in this class. Curt was pretty
conservative and didn’t win the cracker jack prize too often. I had a big crush
on him, but he never asked me out. One of my friends, Julie Heasty, asked him
about this. It was obvious to her that he liked me. He admitted to her that he
did think I was cute, but we were different religions and that was too big of a
bridge to cross in the early 1970s. But I remember feeling better that it was
that and not me personally.
Anyway, now and again I wonder if any of these guys
remember my colorful sock contest. It’s a silly thing, but it was a small
effort to brighten the day in algebra class. And who doesn’t want a cracker
jack prize?
Another sock story is an excerpt from Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, a book I wrote with my
friend, Jacqueline Howard. This snippet is from Chapter Two - Reversing the Downward Spiral of Anger, Alcohol
and Abuse.
“We were at a meeting and everyone had to say one thing
they were grateful for,” said David.
“One guy was living in a half-way house.
He had been living on the streets.
When it was his turn to share he said he was grateful that he had a
clean pair of socks in his drawer. And
he wasn’t kidding. Having clean socks
was a luxury to this guy. It really made
me stop and think about how many things I have in my life to be grateful for.”
Having an attitude of gratitude is a crucial step in
developing an optimistic mindset. For those who find it hard to think of
something they are grateful for, imagine the opposite - how you would feel if
you didn’t have something – or someone in your life? Then turn it around to
create an example of something you are
grateful for.
For me, as odd as it seems, I don’t need to
experience a sense of lack to feel grateful. I think about my happy socks. For
those of you who need more help, here is another excerpt from the book on how
to prepare for daily optimism-enhancing exercises.
EXERCISES
Before you begin these
exercises it always helps to engage spiritual help. Close your eyes and ask
God, angels, spirit guides or another divine source to help you maintain calm
and in control. Even if you do not
believe in celestial beings, create the image in your mind’s eyes as a tool to
help you regain a sense of calm. Whether
real or imagined, these protective beings will always be there to assist you
whenever you ask.
If you want to read more, I
hope you will check out my book. It’s available in paperback through Amazon and
the e-version can be purchased through the smashwords website.
Either way, I hope those who read this will share it
with others. And one bit of advice, it is better to share words of wisdom than
someone’s smelly socks. And if that isn’t cracker jack advice, I don’t know
what is.
