Sock

Monday, 26 February 2001
sock
sock sock
The laundry-basket contains some single socks. It is the lonely socks club. Each sock has lost his better half.

Some socks just joined the club. They still have hope for the other sock to return, from a hidden corner, like under the bed. You never know.

The lonely socks club is an old problem. How do socks get lonely? It is a mystery to me. I can't recall ever to walk out of the house with just one sock, or return wearing just one. So, every sock's better half must be somewhere here in house, but where?

What to do? Search the whole house? That does not sound like a viable plan to me. Lost socks are masters in playing hide and seek.

The solution is embedded in the definition of the lonely socks club:

Definition Solution
  • Every sock is lonely, misses his mate
  • A club is just a club when it has multiple members.
  • Make sure that every sock is surrounded by the likes of him.
  • Limit the lonely sock club to just one member, so the club seizes to be a club.
sock
sock sock
Impossible? No, surprisingly simple: From now on, just buy socks of one single type, in one and the same colour!

It may happen that a single sock stays alone. But, one single sock is not a lonely socks club. And what's more, it won't be a problem, not even for this one sock. He'll just be a temporary spare player on the bench.

As soon as his fellow socks have been washed the sock can find himself a mate, and another sock will be a temporary spare player on the bench. There is no denying, socks are polygamous by nature!

Till next week,
Nut