With allergies season upon us, I wish to tell you about a home appliance that I swear by. The investment did my family wonders, and when it became too heavy and unwieldy to carry up the stairs that I had to let it go, it broke my heart.
***
Knock on wood.
The two little humans, penciled by God and entrusted to me to raise, are healthy young men who are out looking to discover their purpose in this world. I’m most grateful for that every day.
But when my oldest was around seven-years-old, he developed asthma.
There are worse illnesses than asthma and at the same time, none worse than asthma.
I spent many sleepless nights with him, reminding him how to breathe and ease his discomfort on nights when the attacks came at the change of every season.
“Let me carry his burden, dear Lord,” I prayed every time, as together we weathered the ebbs and flows of the worse affliction my heart has ever had to endure.
And when he regained control of his breathing and asked that I put in a video for him to watch for a while, I did and stayed with him until, exhausted but breathing normally again, he surrendered to sleep.
On one of those nights, as I was turning off the TV and preparing to transport us to bed, I became enthralled by an extended TV commercial that featured a handsome man talking about his gorgeous, yellow vacuum-cleaner. The distinguished English gentleman grabbed my attention when he told me that all vacuum cleaners were not created the same. He assured me that his was different in that it did not release particles of dust back into the air like all other vacuum cleaners did. He convinced me that this was the vacuum-cleaner that would help me keep an allergy-free environment where house-dust would be dramatically reduced.
As you can already imagine, I already had a vacuum-cleaner, and vacuuming was already a constant in my daily life; doing it without a complaint.
“Yes. Let’s buy it,” my husband promised, and he started researching the product. But we both went pale when we found out the price, which was compounded by exorbitant shipping fees to get it sent to Japan. *sigh*
“How dare you entice me like that, handsome man,” I cursed, and I continued vacuuming my floors as best I could.
One or probably two summers later, a postcard in our mailbox announced a Giant Warehouse Store opening in the outskirts of our area; Costco, it read. Determined to support my local farmers exclusively, I shunned big and impersonal places like that.
That postcard was doomed for the trash.
The only thing that saved it and made me show it to my husband was that it featured a picture of THE yellow vacuum-cleaner that had been the object of my desire for a very long time.
Long story shortened, we became members of Costco and purchased but ONE ITEM that emptied our wallets. My Dyson Vacuum-Cleaner.
Bulky, heavy, noisy, unwieldy, very yellow, and very powerful.
Bless your heart, Mr. Dyson. Thank you.
The state-of-the-art Powerball has been my faithful companion for seventeen years, with
not a cough,
not a hernia,
not a hiccup to berate it for.
Allegri, the name I gave it, did what her maker promised it’d do for me– I saw a massive change in my son’s health, gave me peace of mind, and saved me money on medical bills. Tell me, wouldn’t you be grateful for something like this?
***
A few years ago, I started to experience back pain– I couldn’t carry Allegri up the stairs. It was then that we decided to do something that broke my heart. I had to let Allegri go!
The maintenance people had already suggested I do as the old parts for Allegri would soon be unavailable. Prompted this way, I needed to exchange her for her sleek, poised, petite, and powerful younger sister.
The people at the appliance store that day saw my tears, my separation-anxiety, and discomposure and assured me they’d give her a good sending-away as they ship her back to where she came from.
“You promise?” I sobbed.
“You have our promise, ma’am,” they replied. The deal was done, and for the price we paid, this better last me for just as long or longer than Allegri, is what I thought.
I christened the new one, Svelta, and I do not doubt that this upgrade was just what my family needed. However, since the little boys no longer live here, I don’t employ her as often as her sister, except, of course, during the months of allergies.
Disclaimer: This is all personal experience and by no means am I trying to get you to get rid of yours and invest in one. Neither am I receiving any royalties from Mr. Dyson for promoting his stellar home appliance this way.
Do you have a fave vacuum cleaner? I’d like to hear about it.
Images: Author’s album.
THANKS FOR READING
I Wish You Miracles.
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