Socks To Make Me Happy

I love socks--fun, funky, colorful socks. While I have always worn socks, when I was growing up they were often plain white or black or blue. I just don't think there were that many to choose from back them. My love affair with socks began in earnest during the years that Lindsey and I volunteered at the Salem Art Fair and Festival . . . it was Lindsey's idea that we wear "art fair socks." And by that she meant wacky, zany socks that had at least one of the colors featured on that year's art fair t-shirt. Sometimes they were striped, or had flowers or some strange pattern, but they were always eye-catching. And fun. It always lifted my spirits to wear them and for the rest of the 361 days of the year that we were not involved in art fair activities, I would get dressed each morning and pull out my colorful socks with a smile on my face.

Our days of volunteering at the art fair are over (at least for now), and yet I still find myself drawn to crazy socks. When I am doing massage, I often wear black (for some reason, it's the unspoken professional attire among LMTs, scrubs notwithstanding) and my favorite thing to do is pair a black top with black pants and then add my socks of many colors. I am professional, yet fun. :)

I recently had to throw out my favorite pair of socks (the hippie-type ones with big flowers on them) because of the huge holes that developed in the heels--that was one of the only times I can think of when I wished my grandma had taught me to darn socks. I wanted to replace them, but hadn't yet found the "right" pair. Then my birthday rolled around and I got some money tucked inside a birthday card from one of my grandmas. Then I happened to be shopping with my mom at a hospital gift shop and found the perfect pair of socks. They were pricey, but hey, they were to be a birthday present . . . thanks, Grandma!

The socks come in a package of three (in case the dryer eats one) and are intentionally mismatched. That's right, they are not mirror images of each other, like "regular" socks. There are 4 types of these "Little MissMatched" socks that you can buy, depending on just how zany you want to get. The ones I liked are the "Marvelous" brand." This means that the colors of the socks are next to each other on the color wheel . . . slightly zany, but not absolutely kooky. "Fabulous" socks boast different shades of the same color while "Kooky" socks have colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Finally, "Zany" socks have every color on the color wheel--for the truly adventurous. :)

Here's the website, if you'd like to check them out for yourself: www.littlemissmatched.com

And next time you're feeling blue, rummage through your sock drawer and pull on a pair of good times with some "fun" socks. You'll feel better . . . I promise.