In a household of six, there were a lot of socks. We had gold toes, red lines, no red lines, long athletics, short athletics… and that’s just a sampling of my boy’s socks. The girls preferred multi-colored stripes and dots while my husband leaned more toward darker hues for work and white and gray socks for play. Me? What did I wear…You guessed it! I didn’t wear any stinking socks! Well, most days anyway. Can you blame a girl for not wanting to add to the sock chaos churning in her laundry room? Friday movie night was the designated time for me to do what I had been postponing all week…sort the dang socks. Because, you know… there are hide and seek socks who sneak behind beds and dressers and dryers only to surprise you when they make a random appearance. And please don’t get me started on the “March of the Penguin” socks who for months wait for the return of its waddling mate. So, weeks pass and socks are found and lost and then found again like the remote control and pennies. And I sorted them…one by one till pairs were made.
Those days of children running through the house, overrun hampers of socks and wet towels are long gone. As the kids grew older and learned to wash their own clothes, the sock hamper was used less and less. In the months after Grace died, I found myself in the laundry room, once again, catching up on some washing. There, quietly on the laundry table, sat a small mound of my socks, a colorful array of prints and stripes. And there I stood in the puddle of my tears and a heart aching with a mound of regret. It wasn’t enough time. There wasn’t enough time! She was gone too quickly. “If I could go back…there’s so much I would do differently”. That was my biggest thought as the images of my children’s childhood lives rolled like a black and white movie flickering through the panoramic screen of my mind. It was all over to quickly!! It was at that moment I picked two of the most different socks I could find, put them purposely and defiantly on my feet and promptly left the laundry room. My heart was screaming the phrase, “LIFE IS TOO SHORT! (to sort socks!)”
Years later, I still practice this "mismatched" custom. It’s an homage to all the things Grace has taught me. If you see me, and I’m wearing socks, they will undoubtedly not match. It is a life statement I rehearse every time I go to the sock drawer. I am reminding myself, I won’t get “forever” here on this Earth. My time here is precious. My mismatched socks are a calculated decision to value the time I have with the people around me. And like the book says, “Don’t sweat the small stuff…And It’s All Small Stuff” FYI: The author, Richard Carlson, passed away just nine years after publishing that book at the young age of 45. LIFE IS SHORT ya’ll!
Years later, I still practice this "mismatched" custom. It’s an homage to all the things Grace has taught me. If you see me, and I’m wearing socks, they will undoubtedly not match. It is a life statement I rehearse every time I go to the sock drawer. I am reminding myself, I won’t get “forever” here on this Earth. My time here is precious. My mismatched socks are a calculated decision to value the time I have with the people around me. And like the book says, “Don’t sweat the small stuff…And It’s All Small Stuff” FYI: The author, Richard Carlson, passed away just nine years after publishing that book at the young age of 45. LIFE IS SHORT ya’ll!
Next time, when you’re standing there sorting your boring socks, grab two insignificant socks, put those mismatched socks and your feet and make the decision to do something expectantly significant, like throwing all caution to the wind and loving passionately. Playing hard with your kids unabashedly. Laughing wildly! And living freely! We don’t get more time and we can’t undo yesterday. Make your day, today, count. Make Someone’s Life Better Today!
Today marks five years since our Amazing Grace left us. I miss her Every. Single. Day. The place in my heart where she lives aches for her presence and the wish for more time. Oh! the things I would change if I had the chance. Oh! the things I would say to her if only I had the moments. But, the past can't be undone. The past is at its best when it boasts of the things we have learned. What have I learned? Mismatched socks and all it implies!!
Thank you Grace for living significantly! Happy Fifth “Re”Birthday Sweet Grace! We Love You!
Today marks five years since our Amazing Grace left us. I miss her Every. Single. Day. The place in my heart where she lives aches for her presence and the wish for more time. Oh! the things I would change if I had the chance. Oh! the things I would say to her if only I had the moments. But, the past can't be undone. The past is at its best when it boasts of the things we have learned. What have I learned? Mismatched socks and all it implies!!
Thank you Grace for living significantly! Happy Fifth “Re”Birthday Sweet Grace! We Love You!
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