Time was flying by quickly as Tim turned the last corner of the steep downhill trail.  With Green Day blasting in his ears, he maintained the rhythm of the song in his footsteps.  Today, he decided, was the day that he would beat his previous record.  Three laps around the park on the absolute steepest, least tamed trails.  There were a few flat trails out here, but most of the paths he chose to power walk were known for their extreme ups and downs, and constant switchbacks.  None of the paths he chose were paved.  Just rocks, tree roots, and dirt.

     After finishing his third circuit he decided that he would take a flat leg to cool down and finish out the day.  He had just turned the first corner, starting down a gentle rolling slope to the exit, when he noticed a lone blue baby's sock lying in the center of the path.

     Tim had always been one to ponder seemingly coincidental things like this and could not, because of the totally out of place nature of the sock - resist stopping and picking it up.  He slipped the little sock into his pocket and continued on down the trail.

     As Tim was exiting the park trail he noticed a young woman about his age standing beside a stroller crying.  He approached carefully, reaching into his pocket as he approached.

     "Hello, are you okay?"

     "Yes, well, no..." pointing to the baby's bare foot she continued, "I've managed to lose one of the socks that Grandma Dickson knitted for my little nephew somewhere back on the trail.  His mom's going to be furious.  I'm in big trouble."

     "Did it look like this?" he smiled as he showed her the sock he had picked up on the path.

     "Yes!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the sock and delivered a tremendous hug to Tim.

     Smiling, she replaced the sock on the baby's foot and looked up at Tim, "Do you come here often?"

     "Yes, pretty much every Saturday.  I like walking the number four trails." he replied, trying not to show the fireworks going off in his head.

     "Me too.  See you next Saturday?"

     "Absolutely."

     Time was flying by quickly as Tim turned the last corner of the steep downhill trail. With Green Day blasting in his ears, he maintained the rhythm of the song in his footsteps.  Today, he decided, was the day that he would beat his previous record.  Three laps around the park on the absolute steepest, least tamed trails.  There were a few flat trails out here, but most of the paths he chose to power walk were know for their extreme ups and downs, and constant switchbacks.  None of the paths he chose were paved. Just rocks, tree roots, and dirt.

     After finishing his third circuit he decided that he would take a flat leg to cool down and finish out the day.  He had just turned the first corner, starting down a gentle rolling slope to exit, when he noticed a lone blue sock baby's sock lying in the center of the path.

     Tim had always been one to ponder seemingly coincidental things like this and could not, because of the totally out of place nature of the sock - resist stopping and picking it up. He slipped the little sock into his pocket and continued on down the trail.

     As Tim was exiting the park trail he noticed a young woman about his age standing beside a stroller crying.  He approached carefully, reaching into his pocket as he approached.

     "Hello, are you okay?"

     As he approached, he noticed that the stroller was empty, and the young woman was hysterical.  He was returning the sock to his pocket when somebody grabbed him firmly by the arm and pulled him away from the woman and the stroller..

     "Good afternoon, sir."

     "Good afternoon." Tim looked from the officer to the young woman, and then back again, "Is there a problem?"

     "That young lady's child" pointing to the young woman, "was taken while she was being distracted by a stranger on the trail back there."

     "What does that have to do with me?"

     "Probably nothing sir, would you be so kind as to empty your pockets for me?"

     Tim reluctantly emptied his pockets onto the hood of the officer's cruiser.  As soon as the sock hit the hood, Tim didn't have to wait long for the words to come,  "I think you'll need to come with me sir."

     Tim sat in the back of the patrol car, staring blankly out the window, thinking - what a difference one sock can make.