The Vacuum Cleaner Effect

Prince Sultan (pictured here) is one cool cat. Very few things ruffle his fluff. There is one thing though that sends him into a frantic search for safety – the evil, loud, horrible, giant, obnoxious VACUUM CLEANER!!  After all these years, he still races for his favorite hiding spot under the bed at even hearing my hand touch the handle. From my vantage point of intelligence, it’s easy to see how silly this is; how he has nothing to be afraid of; and doesn’t he know this by now?! I mean never once has the vacuum cleaner harmed him. He’s always survived unscathed. One day as I was observing this phenomenon which I now think of as the vacuum cleaner effect, a metaphor revealed itself. I began to see that I have a lot of vacuum cleaners too – things that show up repeatedly and cause the same reaction every time – sparking fearful modes of thinking – even panic, survival mode, and sending me running for safety under my proverbial bed.  Looking back I can see I’ve always made it through these things unharmed and even much stronger and more free because of them. So when will I learn to go through potentially triggering situations with grace and courage, without having to go into all the drama? My fanatic feline has taught me that even while I’m scurrying around in my maze of fear, there is even right then a higher intelligence that sees everything clearly, knows there is nothing to fear, understanding clearly that all is well.  If I find access to that intelligence and submit to it, then I don’t have to blindly find my way to the other side of the maze, knocking my head against walls along the way.  I can avoid the maze altogether. How awesome is that! I’m sure I will encounter many more vacuum cleaners along my path, but instead of allowing them to evoke the vacuum cleaner effect, I can let this lesson from super furry friend be a gateway into finding my freedom sooner than later. I hope you will too!