Sock Monsters and the Dragging of Feet
Today I spent two hours folding socks, 227 pairs of socks. Actually, it was 227 pairs of socks (68 of them without a mate), 8 pairs of gloves (4 missing their mates), 1 hair scrunchy, 2 doll outfits, and a ninja headband to be concise. I doubt I am the only one to think this is a little ridiculous. I have tried to be more minimalistic in the past, even once throwing away ALL of our socks and starting fresh with new, store bought, and recognizably DIFFERENT varieties for each member in our family of seven. But as of late, I was avoiding the socks. I let them sit in the basket for nearly three month using our new baby as the excuse for why they were not finished, but knowing in my heart of hearts I was avoiding them. Maybe you have a literal pile of socks in your home or maybe your socks are proverbial. Surely, you can relate even if your clutter is of a different variety. What are you avoiding because it’s difficult to manage or hard to have discernment about? It’s likely your procrastination is causing you additional grief as mine was. It’s ok to allow things to be left undone for a season, particularly a strained one. In such cases it’s only natural that what’s important come to the fore-front, but it should only last for a season, and therein lies the rub. When our slow-of-heart procrastination comes from laziness or indecision it will reek havoc on our lives. So, what can we do to bring about change?
Perhaps, obviously, I like to begin by asking God for His wisdom, and humbling myself before Him. Many of us know this is the answer but how often is it practically lived out?
“God please help me with these socks! I am so tired of the fight. I feel like I have tried everything, I’ve even started completely over again, and again but it hasn’t changed the outcome. How does this keep happening? What am I missing? Please help me to know WHAT to do.”
In such cases, I will also seek wise counsel from those I know (or other resources) and collect a variety of opinions from people with various experiences and age groups. So, I started asking around. My mother said someone she works with keeps safety pins around and when they take off their socks they just pin them together. They wash and dry them pinned and only split them up when they go to put their socks back on their feet. Another friend suggested having a designated sock hamper that each family member can pilfer through to find a match when needed-guilt free. We decided to try to operate somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
The real test is likely the hardest and most important part, it is simply to move forward. …Paralysis of analysis anyone? There is value in action, however slow or gradual.
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” Zechariah 4:10
If something isn’t working for you and your family, change it. Don’t allow a slow leak to persist, it can only become an impediment in the future. Whatever that movement looks like it’s always good to take inventory of your attitude. A hard task is made considerably easier when you do it with a happy heart.
So, I tackled the mess and stopped “dragging my feet”. I even tried to pass the time with a contented optimism. I imagined this was some great life-sized jigsaw puzzle as I systematically placed each sock in their designated pile. I’m still shocked at the sheer number of them all! I’m sure I’ve never seen some of these socks before. We all have some level of the ridiculous in our lives. Sometimes we learn to embrace it, sometimes we let it be, and sometimes it’s better to just try another way.
I have resolved to keep only our best socks even if I have to throw perfectly good ones away. Socks are tedious and stress is relative. If my energies are consistently wrapped up in something(like the socks) it’s good to do something about it-even if it doesn’t effect my spouse in the same way. So today, I encourage you to give yourself permission to make the changes in your life that are necessary. You don’t need to keep all those socks. Your tribe won’t suffer without them, and laundry might actually get folded and put away within the week….well, maybe. At least at our house it will remain the goal.
Have you ever counted how many pairs of socks YOUR family has? I’m curious to know if your numbers are like mine or if we just hit the sock lottery. Feel free to comment below.
#Barnfieldpartyof7 #227pairsofsocks
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https://prioritynowblog.com/2024/02/13/sock-monsters-and-the-dragging-of-feet/
