Skip to main content

Vacuuming without a Filter


Dirt on the floor was not picking up, in fact, my vacuum cleaner seemed to be spitting stuff back out.  

 What the stink was going on?  Then I rounded the corner and saw it sitting on the kitchen counter – the filter - that ingeniously useful little contraption that catches the yuck.

I had spent my time merrily (well that could be an exaggeration) cleaning away, only to find that my effort had been in vain.  Instead of accomplishing my task, I was simply blowing grit and grime back into the air…puffs of fragments and trash.

After having wondered at my very blonde moment, I replaced the filter and continued the process, with much better results.  

 In the middle of laughing at myself, I thought “I should write about this.”  Why?  No one wants to know about vacuuming without a filter, or do they?

Think about it:  it is a quirky, I-can’t-believe-I-could-have-been-that-lame kind of story.  We all have those type of narratives.  These tales root us back into reality no matter how much of a big wig we think we are.  We all do dense, block-headed things.  We might as well admit it and enjoy a good laugh.

Now back to what was happening when the filter wasn’t in place: crap was flying.  When we don’t apply some filters to our lives, crap happens. Our words and actions have impact and implications.

A filter is used to remove unwanted substances.  In the case of my floors, the unwanted junk was dirt.  In life, annoying matter needs to be strained out, the debris.

As I look at this off-beat story, I need to filter out a few things so I can hold on to a sense of humor, right thinking about myself and awareness of my words and actions.  Can you see yourself in this quip?

Using an ingeniously useful contraption, the filter -
Missy




If you have been mildly amused, challenged or inspired by what you have read, please pass on my blog to a friend, colleague, family member or even random acquaintance


Comments

  1. sewsavyJanuary 18, 2014 at 12:04 PM

    I loved the subject and how you wrote it. Yes, we all need a filter especially on our mouths. We also see life through the filter of our beliefs. Yes, we all do those things sometime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy AJanuary 18, 2014 at 12:13 PM

      Thanks, Marlene. You know, I am always amazed at what I can learn from everyday stuff that just happens. We just need to be aware.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

road tripping: french glen and steens mountain

we took a stinkin' lot of dirt roads, but i wouldn't have it any other way The drive wasn’t long by west coast standards, a mere few of hours; which meant there was plenty of leisure (interpreted coffee time) before leaving on another road trip escapade.  I can’t begin to tell you how much fun it is to pack a bag, gas up the car and set out to see what can be seen. An interesting thing I’ve discovered on these exploits, is that having lived in Oregon for the majority of my life, I’ve missed “seeing” a lot of things. You know, I think we all get into the habit of going to the same places, which is a good thing, but we forget about the “other” places that are right in our own backyards. Case in point, yesterday afternoon, when my darling man and I went to Tumalo Falls. I’ve been to Skyliner Snow Park, but never gone the few more dirt road miles to see the falls. Holy cow! Is that lame, or what? a sweet little place, no frills, but plenty of yesteryear
8 comments
Read more

lent, not lint

says it all - the grotto It sticks to your clothes and shows up splendidly on black, it gets caught on the screen in the dryer and socks elaborately decorate your toes with the stuff.  Yep, lint:  the fuzzy, ravelings of fabric that cling to everything; like Velcro, only different. Lint actually has a purpose.  By scraping it from linen it can be made into a soft, fleecy fabric.  Cotton staple – lint fibers – are spun into yarn.  While all of this is riveting, especially while staring at the lint in your belly-button, there’s more to Lent than its sound doppelganger. lint: fluffy, minute shreds of yarn lent: a season of preparation These two tiny words sound similar in our vernacular, but have massively different implications in our lives.  We clean-up lint and toss it in the trash.  Lent, however is a prepping time for us to realize we’re not great at cleaning up our own stuff. Lent was originally a season between winter and summer, now called spring.  The s
6 comments
Read more

pebbles

strewn pebbles Walking on the path I noticed the pebbles. I stopped and picked one up, holding it in my hand to feel it’s texture. Tiny and smooth, it felt warm from the sun. Continuing on my walk, the way was scattered with pebbles of different shapes and sizes; some flat and polished, others round and craggy with sharp edges that could cut the skin. I considered the meaning, if any. Some had been sanded to perfection by time and wear. Others recently broken and chipped were harsh, ugly to feel and look at. No matter, all were pebbles; that was fact. Missy If you have been mildly amused, challenged or inspired by what you have read, please pass on my blog to a friend, colleague, family member or even random acquaintance
4 comments
Read more