How Many Socks?

We are fortunate to have a Salvation Army donation center just a few miles away. It is a remarkable operation. They take any donations of clothing or household items that might be of use to someone else. There are always volunteers waiting for you to drive in to unload. They are friendly and helpful. The place is usually busy, but it runs so smoothly that you are in and out in no time. It would be interesting to see the place where all this stuff is taken and processed. If you have things you don't want any more, this certainly makes more sense than putting them out with the trash.

At home in the bedroom I have a sock drawer. My sock drawer had gotten so full of socks that sometimes I had to mash them down to get the drawer closed. There were socks in that drawer I have not worn for years and would probably never wear at all. There were socks I would never think of putting on because they were buried in the bottom of the drawer and out of sight. It is winter and there are people who have no sock drawers and can use some of mine. So I dumped the whole drawer-full out on the bed and sorted. I put all the socks I don't wear and don't need in a bag for the Salvation Army. The others I sorted into colors and categories. Then I arranged the keeper socks neatly back in the drawer.

The socks in the drawer are now just one layer thick. I can open the drawer and see everything I have. In the past, I could only see the ones on top, and it was confusing and uncertain when I tried to dig down into the lower layers to find something.

I have less socks than before, but it seems like I have more socks than before. I have more socks that are visible and usable. Less socks means more socks.

There are other places in the house where the same thing would probably work. The closet in the hallway filled with coats and hats and gloves. The stuff on the shelves in the garage. There are times I go out and buy something when I know there's some of it somewhere in that garage, but it's easier to buy it new than to do a search. Less stuff in the garage could mean more stuff I could actually use.

Since I only have one home, tackling these issues can at least be confined to a single location. Others are not so fortunate. Sen. John McCain was famously asked in an interview how many houses he and his wife Cindy own, and he did not know for sure. According to Politico the correct answer was eight.

What does one couple need with eight houses? What did I need with so many socks? We could surely do with less. 

1 thought on “How Many Socks?”

  1. Ed. I was in 4th 5th and 6th grade with you and I don't remember but one fight. at Ft.Craig.Only reason I remember is that Lionel Martin and I had a dispute and it ended up with both on the ground. Mrs.Martin was our teacher in 4th grade.
    That was the year You had a Mohawk haircut. I will never forget the look on the teacher's face.
     
                                                                                  Donald S Colvin
                                                                                  Gy/Sgt   U.S.M.C.
                                                                                   RETIRED

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top