Freedom – from the sock basket

Yesterday was “Pile Day” at my house. The day dedicated to going through all of the piles that have piled up due to schedules piled upon schedules.

One of the piles I slayed was the sock pile.

It really wasn’t a pile of socks. It was more like a big basket where socks got piled. And piled and piled!

When you have three girls (especially if two of them are dancers), then you probably have sock issues. We have sock issues! The sock issues started when the two oldest girls were little. One daughter decided she wanted one type of sock but the other wanted another. So I obliged them and bought each of them their own sock type.

But then when their type ran out (probably because they were stashed under a bed, in a closest or under a couch cushion), they would steal their sister’s socks – even though they didn’t like that style.

After matching and folding different style socks – only to have them take each others – I had had enough! I declared that everyone would wear the same sock style and they would be stored in the laundry room in the sock pail.

Over the years, the sock pail grew into a sock bucket and then into the sock basket that took up the entire dryer top!  And it was full of socks! And now I only have one daughter at home. A whole basket of socks for one girl?

Oh, and none of them match. On purpose! Apparently, at some point it became uncool to have matching socks. That, actually, was a joyous day for me – no more hours spent trying to match socks ~ which is very difficult when the match is under a bed, in a closet or under a couch cushion. Oh, and the socks of dancers have to be colored and themed and fun and crazy and fluffy and neon and…

But yesterday, I freed myself of the sock basket!

No socks will be allowed to hang out in my laundry room anymore. They must find their way to the owners’ rooms ~ and, hopefully, their drawers.

I’m not sure why getting rid of the sock basket was so freeing yesterday – but it sure was.  I joyfully declared to my husband as I passed by his office doorway, “I’m free of the sock basket!”

“Find any of mine in there?” was his only comment.

When I told my daughter at the dinner table that there was a new sock rule and there was no longer a sock basket in the laundry room, she questioned, “There’s a sock basket?”

“Yes, there is a sock basket!” I said with great exasperation in my voice.

“Oh, that’s probably where all my socks went!”

Did we forget to tell the baby of the family there was a sock basket in the laundry room where her socks went when they came out of the dryer? Uh, oh!

Honestly, I don’t really have anything spiritual or inspirational to tie this story to today. It just made me happy. I hope it made you chuckle a bit too!

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Psalm 126:2