I’ve noticed that as some people get older, the color of their clothing gets brighter as well. I am not drawn to pastels, and would never hide or cover or disguise my hair. What you see is what you get, for better or worse. But the colorful new socks Maria has been buying me have transformed my own sense of myself and brightened my days in a number of ways.

It’s strange, but I never noticed my feet or looked at my socks, as important as both are to me. They were always drab, brown, gray and functional. Sort of like Stalinist architecture. I decided years ago that I wasn’t going to be drawn into fashion silliness, and I have kept my promise – jeans, chinos, chambray shirts, brown and gray wool socks.

I am not heading for pastels, I know where I am in life, but I like the feeling of this bright and cheerful socks on my feet. It is a neat way to start the day, putting these socks on, I love color and light, and suddenly, there is color and light on my feet. Generally, I have resisted Maria’s heroic efforts to get me to brighten up.

I am not resisting these socks, which Maria gets from Heather at Over The Moon.

I love the way she dresses, individualistic, colorful, artistic. But I don’t look like her and changing too much for me would look silly. At some point, you have to be who you are and like it. Still, I will be honest, seeing my socks out on parade on the clothesline was stirring, they were like pennants reminding me to live and grow and change. I am a warrior for color and light, and now, so are my feet.