The Joy of Putting on Socks

Ever since I joined the Marriott’s gym in my building, I have been going there religiously at lunch and pushing out 4+ miles.  It has pretty much become the bedrock of my training regimen, as it is the only time I can be sure (barring a busy workday) that I can consistently make it to the gym.  It has developed into a nice routine and in a weird way I think having the time away from the desk has made me more productive at work, too.  The routine has also got me to take notice of a few of the unsung benefits of weight loss that I might not have noticed otherwise.

After arriving at the gym, invariably there is a moment where I have to change my socks.  It's just necessary - I’d look silly running in my black work socks, don’t you think?  In the past, putting on socks for me had been somewhat of an ordeal.  At 280 pounds, it was necessary for me to sit down on the bed and make a concerted effort to bend over and put each sock over my foot.  Sometimes I would literally get winded.  Of course, nobody was really there to see it – my ex-wife maybe, but I tried not to make a big deal about it.  There are sometimes embarrassing moments when it comes to being big, and not being able to comfortably put on my socks was one for me.  The thought sometimes struck me, “I wonder if I gain much more weight, if I’ll be able to put them on at all.”  Thankfully, I never quite got that far to find out.

I’m not really a germaphobe, but if I can avoid potential hazards like locker room floor fungus, I will often try.  So the first day I got to the gym, I lifted my foot, took of my work sock and then replaced it with a gym sock without putting the foot back on the floor.  And for some reason, I immediately took note of this moment.  

For most normal people, I would think this is no big deal.  It seems a fairly simple task not worthy of excess attention.  But when two years ago you had problems just putting a sock on, this is sort of a crowning achievement.  Ever since that first day at the gym, I go through the same balancing sock-removal-and-replacement routine, and every day it makes me smile.  The fungal-germ thing isn’t even an issue, since typically after my run I jump in the shower barefoot anyway.  It was just a natural thing for me to do that first day, and now I just can’t stop doing it – nothing to do with germs anymore, just a guy who is happy to be able to put his socks on without getting short of breath.

Sometimes it’s the little things.