Buying a vacuum, being an adult, and understanding love
While I often realize I am an adult, I still have moments when I think, "I'm not old enough for this." One of those moments happened this summer when I found myself listening to a teenager explaining to me why my current vacuum cleaner was doomed. I still don't feel old enough to have to do things like care about the way a vacuum functions, let alone buy a new vacuum cleaner. I now know that is not true--because I am now the proud owner of a refurbished Orek. It will supposedly last me for quite a while, and it does all kinds of fancy things that my old one didn't.
Being me, I, of course, started thinking about my other vacuum cleaners. Yes, that's plural. While I may not be grown-up enough to buy one, I have owned a few. And the funny thing is they all came from my grandmother in one way or another. And I think my sister's first vacuum came from her as well. Nanny was an interesting woman. She in no way fit in with the stock character grandmothers of cheesy novels and Saturday morning cartoons. I don't think I ever saw her bake a cookie and she didn't knit. She wasn't "sweet" in the traditional sense and she watched a lot of C-SPAN. But while my grandmother didn't fit the stereotype of a grandmother, and she was quite a mystery to me in my youth, as I age, I find myself understanding her better--except for the C-SPAN thing--I'll never understand that. It was never odd to me that my grandmother wasn't cuddly. I assumed that was normal. I also made the mistake of thinking it was normal to have grandparents that drove 2 1/2 hours to see a play that I didn't have any lines in. I didn't think it was odd to have grandparents who bought a giant van just so we would all fit in it for family vacations. These things seemed normal to my young brain. My grandparents were also really generous in the most practical ways. They once bought my parents a refrigerator. I remember thinking when my grandmother passed away that I didn't have to treasure something she had given me because so many of my kitchen drawers and cabinets held things she had bought for me. What did they give me for my 21st birthday? Pots and pans. And I love them. :)
But back to vacuum cleaners. I had never had to purchase one because my grandmother was the queen of garage sales. She didn't go very often, but any time there was one around her, she would go and pick up stuff. I have a great set of utensils from that, and my sister and I both started our adult lives with pretty awesome retro vacuum cleaners. I think the thing that strikes me now that I am older is how awesome she was at thinking about what people really needed and setting them up. I would never have thought of needing a vacuum cleaner or the benefits of quality utensils. When I was younger she would take me and my sister shopping for clothes. I always had super cute things that my grandparents had bought. And I'm sure that was great for my parents who were trying to keep two growing girls clothed. :) So as I put my fancy new vacuum cleaner in my car, I had a moment of gratitude for the woman that showed me what practical love looked like. Cleaning out the fridge, planting flowers, and sometimes hitting up the local garage sale.
Being me, I, of course, started thinking about my other vacuum cleaners. Yes, that's plural. While I may not be grown-up enough to buy one, I have owned a few. And the funny thing is they all came from my grandmother in one way or another. And I think my sister's first vacuum came from her as well. Nanny was an interesting woman. She in no way fit in with the stock character grandmothers of cheesy novels and Saturday morning cartoons. I don't think I ever saw her bake a cookie and she didn't knit. She wasn't "sweet" in the traditional sense and she watched a lot of C-SPAN. But while my grandmother didn't fit the stereotype of a grandmother, and she was quite a mystery to me in my youth, as I age, I find myself understanding her better--except for the C-SPAN thing--I'll never understand that. It was never odd to me that my grandmother wasn't cuddly. I assumed that was normal. I also made the mistake of thinking it was normal to have grandparents that drove 2 1/2 hours to see a play that I didn't have any lines in. I didn't think it was odd to have grandparents who bought a giant van just so we would all fit in it for family vacations. These things seemed normal to my young brain. My grandparents were also really generous in the most practical ways. They once bought my parents a refrigerator. I remember thinking when my grandmother passed away that I didn't have to treasure something she had given me because so many of my kitchen drawers and cabinets held things she had bought for me. What did they give me for my 21st birthday? Pots and pans. And I love them. :)
But back to vacuum cleaners. I had never had to purchase one because my grandmother was the queen of garage sales. She didn't go very often, but any time there was one around her, she would go and pick up stuff. I have a great set of utensils from that, and my sister and I both started our adult lives with pretty awesome retro vacuum cleaners. I think the thing that strikes me now that I am older is how awesome she was at thinking about what people really needed and setting them up. I would never have thought of needing a vacuum cleaner or the benefits of quality utensils. When I was younger she would take me and my sister shopping for clothes. I always had super cute things that my grandparents had bought. And I'm sure that was great for my parents who were trying to keep two growing girls clothed. :) So as I put my fancy new vacuum cleaner in my car, I had a moment of gratitude for the woman that showed me what practical love looked like. Cleaning out the fridge, planting flowers, and sometimes hitting up the local garage sale.
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