Can you imagine life without socks?
I never thought socks (or the lack thereof) were a big deal
until JT. JT was one of the best guys you could have on your pickup basketball
team, period. Poetry in motion. Guaranteed points if you fed him the ball
anywhere within ten feet of the hoop.
I remember the day someone landed on JT’s left foot as he
and JT were coming down struggling over a rebound. JT was convinced he’d broken
a toe. I helped unlace and gently took off JT’s left shoe -- a battered old
Puma, as I recall -- and was totally unprepared for the stench that was
suddenly unleashed, the sweat inside that shoe and how chewed up JT’s feet
looked. (And to top it all off, his toe was indeed broken.) You see, JT didn’t
wear socks. It took me a few years, long after I was in another city, to
realize JT couldn’t afford socks.
JT was clearly embarrassed to have his bare foot showing in
front of his basketball buddies, but the pain of his injury forced the issue. I don’t think that socks would have prevented
a broken toe for JT that day. But I do know now as a parent and as someone who
hopes to help neighbors without proper footwear that socks can make a big
difference in one’s health and confidence. Think about it for a few moments. Socks
- Protect feet from dust and moisture, keeping them clean.
- Keep feet 50% warmer by just wearing them in winter.
- Help prevent shoes from stinking up and rotting.
- Keep feet warm.
- Absorb sweat from the feet.
- Prevent fungi from growing on your feet.
- Help keep the feet soft, preventing cracking.
- Prevent foot odor.
- Prevent foot perspiration from spreading on the floor.
- Ease chafing between the foot and footwear.
- Give you comfort and confidence.[i]
We notice a lot of the children and adults we serve at Springs
Rescue Mission are short on socks. Thus this shameless plug for new socks for
our neighbors in need. Any kind, any size is just fine although the greatest need
is likely for socks suitable for wearing with tennis shoes or work boots.
And for the next few weeks, a national sock drive for the
homeless is being promoted jointly by the Association of Gospel Rescue Mission,
Hanes and Disney to benefit rescue missions throughout North America. It’s in
conjunction with the new Disney movie The
Odd Life of Timothy Green.
Without giving away too much, Timothy Green has
a profound need of socks for his own reasons in the movie. (His situation is
much like JT’s, only more whimsical.) I have been privileged to see two
screenings of the film. It’s a good- humored, tender movie about two subjects near
to my heart: parenting and adoption. I think it might be a bit too slow for
preschoolers, but I would encourage children of all ages and the people who
love them to see the film and then talk about it. You won’t regret it.
Back to the socks: You can find sock drop boxes around town
in Colorado Springs. There are boxes located at TCF Bank (Powers & Constitution),
Remington College, Nazarene Bible College, Gold’s Gym Briargate, The Coffee
Exchange, Hollywood Theater (where Timothy
Green will debut on August 15) & Community Bible Study.
Maybe you could pick up an extra pack of socks when you shop
for school clothes for your kids or grandkids. It’s a simple gift that can yield a lot of
practical benefits, especially as we move from summer into fall.
And please, go see Timothy
Green!
[i] Revised from http://www.recipeapart.com/benefits-of-wearing-socks/#ixzz22n88cBbo.
A friendly, not-too-technical article if you’re interested.
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