SOCK STORY

SOCK STORY

In the beginning, an angel visits, bringing me gifts.  I immediately put on one of the 2 pairs of soft fluffy socks in the package.  My stay in the hospital is magically transformed.

We walk down the hall to the Sacred Space room for a visit.  I go with her down the elevator and to the exit door to say our goodbyes.  On the way back to my room I notice pieces of black fluff on the floor.  I look down at my feet to see fluff building up and falling out of the holes in my sandals.  I bend down and pick up the fluff balls on my return journey.

I am delighted and continue to wander the halls picking up fluff balls, while still wearing my new socks.  I feel like Hansel and Gretel in fairy tale land marking my path or finding my way home. 

I chose to keep my socks on as I crawl into bed to listen to a tape.  WOW, what fun when I get up again.  The sheets are just covered with black fluff as I had hoped they would be.  I am feeling so connected and close to my gift bearing angel, like I was wrapped up in her love.  I share my story with my nurse and choose to keep the sheets when the nurse offers to change them.

That night as I was getting ready for bed, it was time to take off the socks.  My feet were black with fluff built up between my toes.  Laughing all the while, I cleaned the fluff from my feet and sandals.  One last trip around the halls without my new socks on, to gather the last of the fluff balls.

Crawling into bed that night was like being wrapped up all cuddly.  What a wonderful day.  I fell asleep easily with a smile on my face and a peaceful feeling of totally being taken care of.

Next morning I shared my sock story with visitors that had been staying by their mother’s bedside and they both said, “I saw the black fluff balls”.  We laughed and I think the sock story helped them.

The next sleep was restless and full of thoughts.  Thoughts of the socks came to the rescue, and giggling I easily drifted off to sleep again.  

I phoned and told my gift bearing angel the story of the socks.  

The saga continued and expanded.  When thinking of the socks didn’t quite manage to quell the thoughts, then thinking of wearing them on my mom’s white carpets did the trick.

I got transferred to another hospital. The beginning of another restless night, and then, poof, like magic, thoughts of the cleaners stripping my bedding with all the black fluff had me giggling.  I easily drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.  The magic of the socks was transferred with me.

It has been a wonderful story to tell my family and friends.  My memory of being in the hospital will be about the sock story.  The healing power of the socks lives on.

Lovingly written by Lynn Keeling (Jan, 2010)

 P.S.  Gift giver wants you to know she did not get the socks from a sales bin.

P.S.  My husband’s story.  He decided to hand wash the socks and said that they just kept disintegrating so they ended up in the garbage.  But, no fear – it was a package of 2, so the story continues….