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What Becomes of the Ones Left Behind?
Life is hard for a single sock.
Much is made of the thousands, or perhaps millions of socks that disappear each year. What becomes of them? Who knows? Maybe they escape through a dryer hose. Maybe they use their power of static cling to hold on to other items of clothing and then drop off at an opportune time and break a break for it. Where do they go? Are they fleeing to Canada for better health care and a more peaceful way of life? Who knows? Escaped socks seem to have a Bigfoot-like ability to attempt detection. Rather than concentrate on the socks that run out, maybe it’s time we concentrate on the ones left behind.
When a sock leaves its partner it puts that partner in a precarious situation. What becomes of the one left behind? Most options aren’t pretty. Chances are, they will just be thrown away. Some more fortunate ones may enjoy a short career as a cleaning rag. There are perhaps, other options, some so vile I don’t want to even consider them.
What can be done to alleviate this problem? One thing I do to ensure socks remain a pair as long as possible is to change the feet I wear them on. How can I tell which sock a foot has been on? Sometimes the toenail on my big toe will wear a hole in a sock. When that happens I put it on the other foot. That way the hole is over a little toe instead of a big one. It adds longevity…
