Socks

Zach's comment on my last post made me think of an analogy I typed up a long time ago, in 2001 to be exact. I dug it out of my archive files and decided to post it here:

"Some people seem to make friends quickly and easily. Others wonder how they do it. Although warped and demented, I see it like this:

Let's say I have $10 and need a pair of socks. I can go to Walmart and get a Value Pack and come home happy with 10 pairs of tube socks. Or I can go to Academy and invest in the super-duper, "nothing short of an armored tank is putting a hole in these puppies" pair of socks -- the kind that has 'comfort' written all over them. Now, there are pros and cons to each. Going to Walmart leaves me with lots of socks. But perhaps the lower quality will cause them to wear out sooner, and after many intense games of basketball, I won't have them when I need them. On the other hand, these Academy socks are durable and will surely hold up to the task. However, I have only one, and if I were to lose it for some reason, it'd be extremely
tough. I'd try to mend it at first, but if that didn't work, I'd have to find a loaner pair, perhaps an old dusty pair or two that I hadn't called into duty for awhile. But rest-assured, the coach, the man-in-charge will see to it that I have the needed pair of socks when I need it most.

It's a cheesy, over-simplification, I know. Personality types and past experiences factor into friendships. I personally go the Academy route, but I'll admit it's much riskier at times. But the coolest part (and perhaps the only thing of value I have to say w/ this analogy) is that we are not measured by the number of socks we have. Nor by the quality of those socks. Rather, what counts is that our Big Game Day Sock is Jesus Christ."