Stupid, Stupid Vacuum

As a single woman, I am strong and independent. I juggle three jobs, am raising two amazing boys, take care of my house and yes, I know how to check the oil in my car. I feel like I do a decent job of juggling all the balls in life, until something breaks in my house.

Lately, a lot of things have been breaking. Take for example, my vacuum cleaner. The other day was a rough one. I had a tough day at work and in addition to everything else, I have some big decisions to make, so I was feeling a little stressed out. One way I deal with stress is by cleaning. (No, I will not come clean your house). I came home from work and decided to vacuum. That plan was soon thwarted, as a hideous screeching noise emerged from my pretty, purple vacuum cleaner. I rolled my eyes, flipped the vacuum over and noticed it was not rotating. This is typically the moment where I get a tight feeling in my chest because I am so not great at fixing things, but I was determined to figure this out. So, I grabbed my handy dandy tool chest and set to work on the vacuum. 30 minutes later, I had taken the vacuum cleaner apart, but could not get it to work properly. This is the point where I so eloquently yelled, "STUPID, STUPID VACUUM," and kicked it across the room.

The ridiculousness did not end there as I reasoned that somehow me kicking the vacuum across the room might have fixed it. It did not. So, I did what any woman in her right mind would. I grabbed my stash of chocolate, sat on the floor, and sobbed. I cried it out, ate a lot of chocolate, all while sitting by the stupid, stupid vacuum cleaner.

Maybe you have had one of those days and can relate. It's a day where you've put out fire after fire, smiled when you felt like frowning, graciously helped others, and gotten through. Then, you get home only to find there are a million more things waiting to be completed, not the least of which is a stupid, stupid (broken) vacuum cleaner. It is the little things that seem to get us, isn't it?

After I finished my crying and chocolate eating session, I picked up my devotion for the day. The main Scripture for that day was this: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I couldn't help but laugh (a little like a crazy woman) at the humor of God. So, I sat next to the stupid, stupid vacuum, ate some more chocolate, and thanked God for everything I could think of.

Then, it dawned on me that I had a second vacuum, I never used. Who has a second vacuum? Apparently I do! I put the stupid, stupid vacuum away in my garage and pulled out the other vacuum, (which is not stupid) and happily vacuumed my floors.

It's the little things in life that get us, but it is also the little things in life that make us. Stopping to be thankful, even in the midst of difficulty, somehow clears our thinking to remember life is still good and there truly is SO much to be thankful for. I still don't like the stupid, stupid vacuum...

My name is Angie, and these are my confessions....