Burlington Socks

Yesterday I bought a pair of Burlington socks. Again. Each pair of Burlington socks I possess give an endless amount of contentment and feeling of gratitude to me.

I don’ t know if you know them. This an old British brand of socks made of wool or cotton with a specific diamond shape on both sides of each sock and with a little button only on the left sock. This is their branded design. I have always found them very beautiful.

Burlington socks have their price, they are not inexpensive. In my high-school years back in Istanbul they were beyond my dreams. I could only admire their beauty when my classmates wore them.

I am a child of a single working mom, who has devoted her entire life to my education, upbringing and well-being. Our conditions were dire. My mom worked two jobs, so that I could attend an expensive private high-school to get better education; and we had a deal. Being the smart person she is, she was well aware that I would be surrounded by the children of rich families who could afford anything and who would also gladly show that off. Showing off is typical for the contemporary Turkish culture, unfortunately. So, she asked me not to demand any expensive items from her just because my friends have them. She would not be able to afford to buy. Of course, I promised that to her, how could I not. I knew our situation.

My high-school years went by with self-expectation management. I admired the Burlington socks and Levi’s jeans and Timberland shoes of my classmates but neither had one nor asked for it. My dearest aunt, who was a stewardess, was so well aware of it. She tried to do her best to compensate as much as she could by bringing me little things from her flights abroad; a keychain, a pencil bag, a hair-clip.

One day I managed to buy a pair of Burlington socks for myself. I don’t exactly remember how. I must have been putting pocket money aside and they must have come on sale. I still remember their color, I had picked a pair of woollen petrol green / grey ones. I still remember how soft and warm they felt on my skin and how happy I was. They were my precious. I started wearing them to school and felt so proud. I wanted to wear them everyday. How can you wear the same pair of socks everyday? I kept my one and only pair of Burlington socks for years, I washed them with care, mended them and put my love in them until they could no more.

Many years later when I moved to Germany and was earning my own money sufficiently, I walked into a department store – Karstadt. Goodness, they had a whole tile dedicated to Burlington socks, each one more beautiful than the other. I still remember how happy and relieved I had felt after buying one or two pairs without feeling any guilt.

Ever since, I feel the same childish feeling of joy, happiness, contentment and relief when I buy a pair of Burlington socks. I don’t buy any other brand. Each pair of those socks is my gratitude to life that it has been so generous with me to put me where I am today. I can admire their beauty and feel their warmth on my skin, whenever I want, without any feeling of guilt. Life is full of little happy moments.