Another turning point...

Sometimes negative behavior can be traced to an unrealized and/or unacknowledged emotion. A common such emotion is anger, which can manifest itself in self-destructive behavior if not addressed. Another commonly present yet denied emotion is fear, which I have only moments ago realized is controlling my action or lack of action. I fear the vacuum cleaner.

I have never enjoyed vacuuming, but, until I went to college, I never had to do much of it. Growing up, all of the floors in my home were hardwood, and though vacuuming was occasionally required, a dry mop usually was sufficient. When I moved to college, my roommate and I decided we would get wall to wall carpeting, but still, even wall to wall carpet in a tiny dorm room does not amount to much. Then I moved into Cov. House, and it is there that my loathing of all things vacuum firmly established itself in my psyche. First of all, though the carpets weren't bad, they weren't all that great either, and a well-vacuumed floor did not look that different from a floor that had not been vacuumed. Also, hair would continually get caught in the vacuum and I would have to take a pair of scissors and cut it all out. Third, the belt often would burn leaving the nauseating smell of burnt rubber throughout the entire house. Vacuum cleaners since have been complicated mysteries to me. They clean my floor, but they are fickle, smelly, unpredictable machines that I am sure sometimes spontaneously combust and injure dozens each year.

Knowledge is often the antidote to fear, however, and I am making strides to get to know my Dirt Devil. I changed the bag today. It wasn't that bad. I changed it, but I put the new bag in, and everything's good. Plus, the vacuum cleaner works better now. Yes, hair is still a problem, but I'll try to maintain that. Filters - I can change those too. Maybe, with enough attention, the Dirt Devil will become my friend. If not, that's okay. Now that I've peered inside it, it's not so scary anymore. Good vacuum.