I had a hard morning, and resolve to piggyback my way to happiness on the back of buying some new socks.

My go-to sock dealer is Proude’s Shoes, and so that’s where I headed, thinking I might pick up a few pairs of the Wigwam socks they’ve been carrying for awhile (I own three pairs, and my day is always 10% better when they come up in the sock rotation).

When I arrived, I found Wigwam socks in short supply, and learned from personable manager Kevin Proude that it’s a line they’re phasing out, in favour of Darn Tough socks from Vemont.

Kevin then proceeded to give me a thorough overview of the Darn Tough selection, in a way that only Kevin can (the difference between shopping at Proude’s and shopping at a shoestore chain is like the difference between having a personal chef and eating in a cafeteria).

I walked away with two pairs of Darn Tough, a couple of pairs of Wigwam for old time’s sake, and a warm feeling about the fact that stores like Proude’s continue to thrive.

The socks, by the way, are guaranteed for life:

Our socks are guaranteed to be the most comfortable, durable, and best fitting socks you can buy. In a nutshell, if you wear a hole in them, we will replace them free of charge, for life. Things that generally are not covered—disappeared in the dryer, the dog ate them, too close to a campfire, theft by friend or foe, etc., etc. However, all claims made in good faith will be considered.

I would buy the socks based on those two sentences alone.

If your feet are cold or wet, or, like me, if you just need a piggyback ride to happiness, drop by and have Kevin give you the down-low.