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The return of the prodigal sock

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Jpatma, Dec 14, 2009.

  1. Jpatma

    Jpatma Silver IL'ite

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    My friend told me he lost a sock. Now, people often lose socks all the time (I lose my mind too) so there is nothing unusual about that. One minute, two matching socks are in the laundry basket or washing machine, and the next, one sock has disappeared, never to be seen again. Indeed, there must be millions of socks out there missing a mate. Thinking of it, I should create “sockmatrimony.com” for all the single sock to meet their mate.There is no hard and fast rule that a red sock should be paired by red sock. After all it is man made rule.
    Anyway, this friend was very upset about his loss. I didn’t ask why ?. Maybe the socks were a gift from a special friend, maybe he’d knitted them himself, maybe they were a special one-off design, maybe they were expensive, maybe he only had one pair of socks. Whatever the reason for his upset, he compared his emotions with those he felt the day his mother’s oldest sister had died, and concluded that if there was a Richter scale of loss, losing that sock was just as hard on him as the passing of his aunt.

    When I heard this, I scoffed at the idea. After all, how could you possibly compare a sock with a relative? One must compare apple to apple and not apple to mango though all belong to the family of fruits. Elementary ! How could an inanimate object, one that is usually almost entirely concealed by a trouser leg, be given such importance? Aren’t relationships with people more important than anything else?

    As I lie on my deathbed, assuming of course, that I die from a protracted illness of some sort (ofcourse in an posh luxury hospital), I will undoubtedly think about the people first my DH & DS then IL members like Chithra, Cheeniya, Kamal, kamala, Sridhar and other IL friends who came in and out of my life (in reality I shd be thinking of God). I will think about relations and relationships. My last passing thought will not be of the hot pink designer sock, the one that looked good with my black shoes , that I lost in the summer of 1990. Although, thinking about it now, that sure was some pair of socks.

    Getting back to my friend and his missing sock. Three weeks after the sock disappeared, he discovered its partner beneath the cupboard in his bedroom ( iam not sure whether he had swept his room). He was overjoyed. He couldn’t believe his luck. The sock was put back where it belonged: tucked inside its mate in the sock drawer & hoped they lived happily ever after.

    It is fortunate my friend hadn’t thrown out the remaining sock shortly after discovering his loss, otherwise he would have been stuck once more with a partnerless sock. Still, my experience is that people will hold onto solitary socks for months, even years, before thinking about throwing them away. There’s always a hope that the missing sock will turn up some place. They can search every inch of the house, peer into the bowels of their washing machines and clothes driers, inspect outlet hoses and drainage systems, without finding that sock, and still feel reluctant to part with its partner. Shh! Shh! I usually use it for polish my DH’s shoes like shoe flint.

    My advise to all who buy socks , they are like twins or brothers, the moment you buy a pair teach them identificaiton song as in Yaadon ki baraat. The socks are bound to get lost like sibling or twins in movies, but if you have taught the song, then there is a hope one day they will meet each other. You can request the remanant sock to sing the id song, if the lost sock is around it will emerge with out-stretched arms and then happy reunion will take place. Or the missing pair would have become a gangster and the one in your hand would have become a policeman.

    Iam off tangent again.

    Of course, there is a solution to this perennial problem: always buy the same style and colour of sock. That way, every sock in your drawer will match every other sock. Of course, socks wear out at different times, depending on how often you wear them, so they may get mismatched in terms of wornness. But who’s going to be scrutinising your socks so intently, in the first place? Unless you are Michale Jackson your white socks are prominent or like MGR your pants are tight and short that your socks in contrasting color blinks blatantly .

    Getting back to my friend’s joy at being reunited with his sock: he was so ecstatic that he doubted that he’d been happier on his wedding day, or the day his daughter was born, or the day he’d bought his first house.
    Once again, I wondered how you can compare the joy at finding a sock with other, more significant, events in your life? Then a good friend put it all in perspective for me.

    “Sometimes when I go out not those exclusive malls, but say for dinner at the stalls at the road side,” she said, “I need to go to the bathroom, but I can’t go, either because I can’t find a toilet or the public loos are just way too dirty. When I finally get home and sit down to pee, I can tell you that at that moment it feels better than even great sex. At that moment, I get my heart’s desire, and I’m blissfully happy as a result. In Ritcher scale of happiness and joy it is the acme..

    Come to think of it, a pair of loved socks can feature more prominently in your life than a seldom seen relative.

     
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  2. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    dear jaya

    I wanted to give the first fb but gopika needs my attention so will come back later . good post

    love
    viji
     
  3. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    Dear Jaya

    I have come back soon but I have to go out now. While writing the first fb I was holding Gopika and her mother was taking bath and my husband had gone out. Suddenly she started crying so I had to attend to her.

    Even on a pair of sock such a wonderful post you have written. For some people some things are very important. I also have the habit for searching for something which is lost and till I get it I am not at peace though its only a thing and not some human being. It depends on each individual how they take things.

    A good post well written

    love
    viji
     
  4. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear jay,

    Now, what is with you and socks..if i remember properly you had once written about your late hubbys favourite pair:)

    anyway, you have such a hilarious post out of something that usually stinks?

    from MJ to MGR to yaadhon ki bharaath....i am :rotfl:rotfl:rotfl

    but hahaha tell me about it...i simply throw the lone one out after i get more than 2- 3 single ones:) btw,thanks for that shoeshine tip
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2009
  5. Ranise

    Ranise Junior IL'ite

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    Jaya Ji! Hilarious. I was literally imaganing the song sequence where the lost socks was coming from behind the Almirah with its stretched out hands and singing yaadon ki baraat.....

    Really loved reading it thru.

    Regards
    Rani
     
  6. knot2share

    knot2share Gold IL'ite

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    It is such a common thing isn't it? I thought I was the one who always ended up missing one from the pair that too only my hubby's and not mine. The other one always seem to end up entangled or stuck due to static electricty to a track pant or gets lost inside the pillow cover or some unthinkable places. I have suggested many times about buying same coloured ones, atleast that way like you said, there is always the matching pair readily available, while the original match takes its time to peep out. In my case and lonesome sock features more prominently than any other thing or person.
     
  7. Padmini

    Padmini IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Jeya,
    From the " missing socks" you have wonderfully and humorously brought out human emotions.Really I envy you from a non living thing ( sorry) you have written such a lively post.
    first let me give apiece of advice to your friend. so next time he won't miss the socks and start comparing his worry with some death!
    Many socks get lost on the way back from the washing machine to your sock drawer. They can easily fall from the laundry basket and be whisked away by static electricity. Keep socks in the middle of the pile so they don't escape.So that they need not sing " Yadoon ki baarat" or " Kagitha odam kadalalai mele"What do you say? When you are in bed you want a costly hospital? why my friend? But you forgot to mention my name!!:hide:I feel I have not created such impact on you !! O.k. It is alright my friend.
    Apart from MGR, Bagyaraj would be more appropriate.Enjoyed your post.
    with love
    pad


     
  8. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Jaya,

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    I tell u, u are mad.Trulely mad.How can u mix Socks with Yadon ki Barat, songs, MGR, toilet and pees, and all that.

    Hilarious , too good, my stomach is hurting readign this one.A story out of thin air, and i swear if u had told me this story in first person, i would have died there and there, laughing of course in front of u.

    :rotfl:rotfl:biglaugh:biglaugh

    I am nominating this right now.Superb, hats off Jaya.

    kamal
     
  9. Jpatma

    Jpatma Silver IL'ite

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    Thanks for the boni Viji !
    True at times we still keep looking for the lost item, will not rest till we get it back
    Jaya
     
  10. Jpatma

    Jpatma Silver IL'ite

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    Mins,
    Athu towel ithu socks. Oru chinna remake tan. Hit aguma illaya teriyale.
    Naan katha veduven, there is no hard and fast rule that sock must match.
    We can mix match too.
    Thanks for the fb,
    Jaya

     

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