Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Harnessing the power of rainbow socks

I'm never quite prepared for the full-force of the jolt when my feet hit reality again.

I realize that the responsible thing to do would have been to forgo the romantic getaway weekend, the one that was planned before the Albuquerque flu wrecked havoc on my body and concentration abilities.
But I've done the responsible thing too many times.

Him and I have too frequently as of late been in the same room but not, separated by walls of papers and obligations.
Such is the nature of graduate student romance.
It has come to the point where I stop in the middle of reading a sentence, stricken by the need to tell him that I miss him despite being ostensibly sitting right beside him.

Never underestimate the power of holding hands to ground you in the moment.

So, I did the irresponsible thing, and took a ferry with him, jumped on a hotel bed, scaled seaweed slippery rocks, kissed him with nothing but a museum exhibit as a witness, and even read productively as he dozed beside me and entered in words describing intricate brain regions into powerpoint as a bright sunset shone through the window.

But now my feet are firmly back on the cold, hard ground of reality, and I realize how truly behind this illness has left me. I search for 15 minute gaps in my schedule, which I fill in with tasks. I pack my clipboard full of articles, rank ordered in terms of sheer desperation. I wince when I open my feed reader, silently cursing myself for letting blogging degenerate into another chore, rather than the solace it is supposed to be.

And, as I fish through my sock drawer this morning, cursing myself and my need to do laundry, I deliberately choose my rainbow socks. The ones that my client once busted me wearing.
Because, this way, even if I only get a glimpse at the sunshine as I dash between appointments, at least I can peek below, and see a smattering of colour on my feet.

Sometimes you have to grasp onto colour in any way you can get it.

39 comments:

Larissa said...

I'm glad that you chose the irresponsible thing. Sometimes that's worth it.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing what a good pair of fun socks can do. I have a striped purple pair of socks that go beyond my knees and I positively adore them.

Also. I've decided there is a bloggie sickness going around. Because I now have it. Awesome.

Miss you woman!

Yoda said...

Believe me, in the bigger scheme of things, the weekend getaway was the more responsible thing to do!

I've been uber busy too, and I'm getting behind on blogs :-(

B said...

Absolutely agreed. The sunshine must be sought.

And the blogging as a chore thing? Couldn't agree with you more. It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest...

Jess said...

I'm glad you went! Irresponsible or not. And I'm glad you're still finding some color back in reality.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes the irresponsible thing is what you need to keep being responsible. That and rainbow socks, of course.

ANA said...

There are things you do even though you realize it is not the most responsible thing to do, and they may make no sense if you plan on following a logical line of reasoning. But they feel right. It may be the real reason we are all here: to live our whims and wear multicolored socks and call them rainbows.

brooke said...

My personal philosophy: Socks don't deserve to exist unless they're cute and colorful. I don't own any plain white or black socks, and I see no reason to start now. :) Keep rockin' the rainbows.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely! We have those socks, too. My daughter and I share them; rainbow toe-socks. The secret knowledge that I am wearing such socks under the conference room table are enough to make me chuckle inwardly. I'll have to wear mine on Friday (teacher inservice day, ugh.)

Good to hear from you!!!

Carrie said...

Fun socks make all the difference. So do weekend get-aways; they're good for the mind, body and soul.

It sounds like you had an amazing time - and it was well worth it!

Happy Tuesday :)

Anonymous said...

P.S. And as you well know, sometimes (just sometimes) doing the irresponsible thing is the HEALTHY thing. After all, you must model this for your clients, right? You were simply making a healthy (not self-destructive) choice! Bravo!

Tonya said...

awe, that was sweet. hope you're feeling better!

nicole antoinette said...

I say: always pick the weekend getaway. Always.

Oh, and this was gorgeous and so poignant: "Never underestimate the power of holding hands to ground you in the moment."

Ant said...

I'm about to throw the redoubtable test-card up on my blog for sort of similar reasons - I find that by abnegating any expectation to blog, the "chorey"-ness of blogging disappears. The result is usually a fresher and more fun take on things when I come back... Maybe you want to do the same?

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you took the weekend getaway - everyone needs some down time every now and again, and also time to reconnect.

Also, I love rainbow socks.

Anonymous said...

Rainbow socks brighten any day and you should never be afraid to rock them :) I hope you emerge soon! :)

SMARTBuddy said...

Keep doing what youre doing, make it through each day and the weeks will look after themselves. Before you know it youre through- then you can spend your 15 minute slots deciding what cake to have today. I should probably get back to work..

Silverstar said...

Sometimes you need weekend getaways and patterned socks to prevent insanity from boredom.:)

A Margarita said...

Colorful socks make me happy, as does matching underwear. It's the little things that keep us going :) Hope you get everything straightened out.

Anonymous said...

i have a pair of rainbow toe socks that my girlfriend bought me in california and they make me smile every time i wear them.

good luck with getting everything done :)

the frog princess said...

I *only* wear colourful socks... ever! My boss likes to make fun of them but I don't care, they keep me happy.

Hang in there babe, I'm sure you'll pull yourself up by your bootstraps in no time! After all, if grad school was easy, EVERYONE would do it!

Sending productive thoughts your way!

Beth said...

You will catch up on all those things that need doing. Never regret the romantic weekend.
And wear those rainbow socks with pride and delight!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes choosing the irresponsible thing is the sanest thing to do........I am glad you went for it...

DG said...

I'm glad you put the work aside and had some romantic fun for a little. Enjoy that stuff!

Crushed said...

I seem to have about twenty socks, which is good, but only siix actual pairs.
It does happen from time to time that I have to keep my feet away from too close scrutiny...

It is sad when blogging becomes a chore. Recently, it has been one to me, but I'm hoping to change that.

Anonymous said...

This is so true. On a gray, nasty day outside, sometimes you just need a little color.

PrincessPolly said...

I'm glad you had a good weekend and I hope you manage to catch up on life. As long as the break from it all was worth it, that's the important thing! :)

Crashdummie said...

omg! That was probably one of the most adoreable ideas ever - me love!!!

Sending u hugz and rainbows from other side of the ocean :)

brandy said...

You have written how I'm currently feeling (in a way that's far more articulate than anything I could have said). I hope you find more and more 'gaps' of time and that in those gaps you find yourself holding hands with someone you love.

And rainbow socks? I'm all over that. Have a great thursday.

Anonymous said...

ah. pp i love this post. and take all the time you need to feel sane again. then come back, because i will be missing you terribly. plsandthx

Therapeutic Ramblings said...

damn I need to have a hotel weekend!!

I TOTALLY know what you mean about the grad school romances, been there...done that, got the t-shirts!

captain corky said...

Hang in there girl! After all, the semester is almost halfway over... On second though, scream. Scream loudly. ;)

EF said...

I like the fact that your feet look like Skittles. That would make any day a happy day in my book!

megabrooke said...

I love that you donned those socks! Oh and do I ever hear you on the frightfulness that is the google reader.

Anonymous said...

hello my lovely dear!

we spoke of marriage not too long ago and now i feel like we've been mandated a separation time before we meet for our big DAY.

(i'm carrying this joke out a little too far, aren't i?)

i miss you!! i too have been incredibly sick and - honestly - shouldn't we be awarded some kind of time freezing machine so we can be sick and get better in peace before the rush of life resumes once more?

i can't to catch up with you!

Unknown said...

Choosing the irresponsible thing is often the responsible thing to do.

You grad students are so busy. I don't know how you do it.

Ultra Toast Mosha God said...

Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I've been ensconsed behind the guitar and the bar, hence my relative posting drought.

Work to live, not live to work, right?

Tina Poe said...

Getting away is so important. I don't know how it happens but I hate feeling lonely when my bf sits in the living room with me in the evenings.

eric1313 said...

"Never underestimate the power of holding hands to ground you in the moment.

So, I did the irresponsible thing, and took a ferry with him, jumped on a hotel bed, scaled seaweed slippery rocks, kissed him with nothing but a museum exhibit as a witness, and even read productively as he dozed beside me and entered in words describing intricate brain regions into powerpoint as a bright sunset shone through the window."

Your writing is a true wonder of this age.

I feel so vicariously flushed with love, I could write a million love poems.

write now.




After I change my socks! Black socks suck the life out of a soul, for reals!