Share and Share Alike

I called my brother Cameron the other day to see if I could send him a pair of socks. Specifically I was wondering if he’d ever wear a pair of used socks, as I know some people have issues with wearing used clothing. Sure I understand avoiding, at all costs, a pair of used underwear but beyond that, for me, pretty much anything goes. Still, I wanted to be sure before sending the socks.


Cameron has recently suffered an injury to his leg followed by surgery and now nears the end of a two-week period in a cast. “Get yourself a nice straight coat hanger and cut it down to a manageable length. You’re gonna need to scratch.” I know because I’ve done the cast thing. This will be followed by a month or so in a removable boot, which I too have endured. Unlike a cast, the boot brings a newfound freedom by introducing the ability to gimp along without the aid of crutches. It also allows one to remove it periodically and air things out which is where the socks come in. During my orthopedic boot wearing days I found a pair of compression type soccer socks which work wonders in keeping the leg comfortable. This particular pair is made by Nike and also boasts dri-fit technology, which helps keep the boot dry, which, in turn equals a less smelly boot and a less itchy leg. Wanting to do something nice for my brother, you know, show him I care, I searched high and low for a pair of these socks only to discover they no longer make them. Hence the question about the used pair.

A few years ago Linda and I were visiting Cameron in Southern California when the discussion about sharing came up. Actually, it was about the dangers associated with sharing. We were sitting around the island in his kitchen while his wife Melissa demonstrated a new blender my brother had recently purchased. It seemed its greatest selling point was it’s ability to take everyday ingredients straight from the refrigerator and blend them at speed high enough to actually boil them. “And why do you need a blender to boil soup,” I asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier to use the stove top?”

“Well maybe,” she guessed, “but it’s just the fact that you can that makes it so great.” Her point was lost on me, their son Kyle’s, however, was not. He was maybe 10 at the time and had come into the kitchen complaining about sharing his sleeping bag with his younger sister Paige.

“C’mon dad, sharing a sleeping bag is just gross,” he complained. Melissa, my wife Linda and Paige disagreed while Cameron, their oldest daughter Sarah, and I agreed with Kyle. We were a room divided and began constructing a list of other things that should never be shared.

Socks never came up but I thought I should ask.

Where do you draw the line?