I love these signs – but this one…it just gets me. I proudly have it in my office and even though it’s funny, it is most definitely true. I’m trying to get better at letting life “be” or “unfold” or whatever (see, I’m not good at it) because I know there is beauty in the unknown. But, truthfully, I usually have those moments planned as well.
I’m one of those people that survives on lists and my planner (yupp, a real old school, physical planner that you write in). I love the satisfaction of scratching things off. Confession: I even make weekend to-do lists. Anyone else? I try not to be a schedule psycho, but it just doesn’t work out for me.
This weekend didn’t have much on the list. Play outside. Go for a walk each day. Take a nap. I know what you’re thinking…how pathetic! Who schedules a nap?! But to me, that is a BIG step. I never nap to begin with, but I’ve been craving one lately. The only way I know how to get it done is to put it on the list. Sadly, this is the ONLY thing I didn’t get to this weekend…okay, maybe you’re right. I am pathetic. The list finished up with crafting (finishing my latch hook) and needing to vacuum. Easy enough, right?
Wrong. We were decorating our sidewalk with chalk when I stopped to let Jordan and Summer know that I was heading in to prep dinner and vacuum real quick. Summer is my right-hand lady when it comes to all things chores, so she panicked when she heard I would be doing a household task without her. I saw the tears starting to well in her eyes, so I reluctantly said she could join me.
I vacuumed a few rooms before letting her “help” me vacuum the family room. For some reason, this time I told her multiple times to watch the cord and I even explained that the vacuum’s job is to suck things up; it doesn’t care what is in its way. She seemed to understand and did a great job on the room before I took over again.
As I was touching up the family room, she took her socks off and started to throw them at the vacuum. I could tell by her sly smile that she was just playing around. We were laughing at how far off her throws were and I was kidding around with the vacuum back and forth. You know where this is going…
Her third throw of the sock…GULP! The vacuum sucked it up so fast, neither of us had time to react. The vacuum turned off and I just stared at her. We all exchanged blank looks and I unplugged it to check it out. No sock in sight.
I asked Jordan (I like to think I asked anyway, but I might have told him) to go outside to grill dinner with her so I could have a moment. I know it’s “just” a vacuum, but remember, she wasn’t supposed to be helping me in the first place. And now we are quarantined in the house together for at least 3 more weeks and my vacuum might not work anymore? I highly doubt vacuum repair is considered an essential service.
They grabbed the vacuum to inspect downstairs while they grilled dinner and as they were walking outside, I heard Summer whisper to Jordan, “We better get outta here.” I don’t want her to be afraid of me, or my emotions, but she definitely read this situation correctly.
About 20 minutes later, I heard Summer come running inside. (You’ll never guess where I was…the bathroom, of course.) She was so excited to tell me that daddy got the sock out of the vacuum. There was hope! We both ran outside together and I did in fact see the sock. Jordan said the sock was in the tube before the vacuum bag and was still warm. Summer was so proud and I know she was just trying to make me feel better.
We definitely tried to make the most of it and laugh it off. In the grand scheme of things right now, this is nothing. But stuff like this really throws me off my game. I can’t cross vacuuming off the list when it only got half done and I certainly can’t put it on my list for next weekend if it’s still broken.
It’s likely that the motor overheated and we are hopeful that it will turn on again. Otherwise, I guess I’ll be getting a new vacuum for Mother’s Day this year (for real, that doesn’t count as my gift, even if I do get a new one). I should have just taken the darn nap.
Here she is…super proud and super weary of her mother with her accomplice, the vacuum.
The Rupkey Roost 