The
Parable of
the Single
Sock
 I
read the
story of a
well-known
senator who
was riding
a new excursion
boat up the
Potomac River. It
was a warm
day, and
the senator
had removed
his shoes
and socks
and settled
back in
a deck chair
to wiggle
his toes.
His
socks hung
on the railing
in front
of him.
One
of the many
columnists
aboard the
boat observed
that someone
running along
the deck
inadvertently
brushed against
one of the
socks. It
fell over
the railing
and was
swallowed
up by the
churning
river. The
columnist
watched
to see what
followed
next. The
senator,
seeing what
had happened,
calmly went
over to
the railing. He
picked
up
the remaining
sock and
tossed
it
overboard.
I
thought about
how I would
have been
tempted to
take the
one remaining
sock home
and put it
in my drawer
with all
the other
single socks. Even
though I
would never
retrieve
the mate,
it is difficult
for many
of
us to throw
away a perfectly
good sock. And
so our lives
become full
of single
socks...things
that have
no use to
us except
to clutter
up our lives.
Maybe
it is time
to go through
some of the
drawers
in
our lives...to
clean out
all the things
that serve
no purpose...to
get down
to some simple
basics. It
takes courage
to be move
forward, and
that may mean
throwing out
our single
socks, simplifying
our lives
and doing
less of those
things that
ultimately
help no one. Then
we can chose
those things
in our lives
that have
meaning and
purpose,
and pursue
them with
gusto. |
