One day during my freshman year, I was feeling particularly stressed. So, I made the trek from Miller to Faneuil Hall. That trip would become a frequent one of mine. My store of choice was always Newbury Comics.
Instead of immediately walking upstairs to sift through the records that I had looked at so many times before, I went straight to the wall of socks. Twenty minutes later, I bought three pairs.
I don’t remember all of them, but I do remember one pair in particular. They’re light purple, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on them. The two pieces of bread are side-by-side and holding hands, with little smiley faces on them.
Each time I wear them and look at them, I can’t help but smile. One, I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and two, the holding hands appeal to my sentimental side.
It’s impossible not to smile when there’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich smiling back at you. And for me, sometimes that’s precisely the pick-me-up I need when I’ve had a long day.
From that day on, I began a collection of socks like these. It’s a subtle form of self-expression, because I can pick what I want to express on any particular day.
I’ve got socks with record players on them that I wear when I’m sifting through the $1 bins at a record store. And socks with outer space on them, that I think are out of this world — excuse the pun.
I also think of my socks with a Boston theme. Monet socks that take me back to the first time I saw one of his works at the MFA freshman year. And my socks that depict the Boston skyline and Fenway Park, reminding me of the last-minute Red Sox game I attended last year with my close friends.
They’re a comforting part of my morning when I’m getting ready for the day and crossing my fingers that I get an elevator at Sawyer, or preparing myself for inevitably running out of breath walking up the hill to campus.
While it may sound goofy, fun socks — whether it’s dogs chasing butterflies, boxes of strawberries or vibrant hot air balloons — are a little detail of my everyday life that means a lot to me.
Follow Ashley on Twitter @ashleyness2000
