NEW VACUUM SHOWS DIRT, OLD VACUUMS KEEP IT IN THE BAG

Old vaccums didn’t show dirt like new vacuum cleaners. They hid it all in a bag.

 

And that bag filled up tighter than a old feather pillow compressed by years of thrashing sweat and bad dreams.

 

Some dirt bags even look like pillows, but don’t substitute. You’d end up resting your head on a pile of dander and dust mites and dirt and dog debris.

 

That’s no recipe for a good night’s sleep.

 

How would I empty this old vacuum? Take it outside for starters. This looks like a dust plume waiting to happen.

 

Would it be worse than my new vacuum with no bag and dust all over if emptied inside?

 

Vacuums aren’t supposed to spread dirt. They pick it up and make it easier to dispose of.

 

Disposable dirt.

 

 

Take a good look at the old vacuums and think of a new vacuum.

 

Do we have more dirt than ever? Is that why we need micro-filters, hepa-filters, and air scubbers?

 

Or are we just more educated about the dangers of allergens and infections?

 

The old saying about eating a peck of dirt before you die? Maybe not a peck?

 

 

Older people, like grandparents with millennials grandkids, not baby boomers, don’t see filth the same as younger people, like boomers and millennials.

 

As the greatest generation ages into a loss of senses like smell and taste and touch and sight, it seems normal. All of their senses take a hit, a gradual hit.

 

Like the kids they didn’t see grow up, and were so surprised to find them so big, dirt becomes an afterthought.

 

That’s what happens when you have too many things done for you. The memory of doing the basics fades away.

 

No dishes to wash, clothes to clean, floor to sweep, carpet to vacuum? Ah, that’s living brother, or is it?

 

 

Leading edge boomers, those born between 1946 and 1952, are falling in line with the Greats.

 

The cycle of life turns, turns, turns, and they finally get a grip on the important things in life.

 

Middle boomers aren’t far behind. We celebrate roots, and love, and unity.

 

The dirt? We’ll get things cleaned up tomorrow. Maybe.

 

Then there’s the minority of older boomers who ruin it for the rest. Some of these old people are way past their expiration date, but can’t read the fine print.

 

They roll through life like it still the 1950’s, when air pollution wasn’t overflowing the atmosphere, when water was cool and clear like the song.

 

They can’t see it because, like an old vacuum, it’s invisible in their world. Someone else’s job, not theirs.

 

I heard a older man say, “Things get so desperate and everyone panics. It’s not good, but it is entertaining. Since I won’t be around for the outcome, it’s even more entertaining. I don’t have to take a side anymore.”

 

The statement bothered me when I heard it, but it wasn’t the first time an old guy tossed in the towel. They’ve earned the right to avoid stress where they can.

 

Like the old vacuum with a canister, or bag, or barrel, it’s hard to make the right decision when you can’t see the problem.

 

So I bought a new vacuum to replace the last one, or what I thought was the last vacuum since it cost so much. Even the bags were expensive.

 

The new one is battery powered and has a plastic dirt collector in the handle. I can see what’s getting sucked up. One day, yesterday, I made a run through the house floors. They looked clean, but I still pulled up a big wad of hair and lint and dumped it in a ball.

 

I just looked at the nasty results thinking, ‘That’s what I’ve been breathing?’

 

If you’re not ready to de-regulate the dirt we have inside our houses and apartments, then you’re not ready to let someone else trash outside either.

 

Are you?