Fear

People deal with fear in different ways. For example, where my husband is a fighter, I'm a flighter. I remember once when I was around twelve years old, I was hiking with my best friend, Jean. We heard a strange sound, thought it was a bear, and immediately responded in our own way. Jean froze. She could not budge from where she was standing. I bolted. I can still remember her yelling for me to come back. Some friend, right? But can I help it if when scared for my life, I run? And let it be noted that I did eventually return to help her, eventually.

There is one thing in our home that brings great fear--the vacuum. I don't know what it is about the vacuum, but it is the most feared creature in the history of our family. And I've noticed that different family members respond to their fear of the vacuum in different ways. Gimli used to hide out whenever the vacuum came out. Then when the vacuum was resting quietly, Gimli would pee on it as if to say, "You may have scared me, but this is what I think of you." Maybe Gimli saw too many of those Calvin stickers on the back of trucks in his lifetime because that was his common reaction, whether he was angry or scared. And I'm not talking about like when dogs pee on the carpet because they're scared. This was intentional, calculated. Gus, on the other hand, will also hide out when the vacuum fires up. However, he is jumpy and edgy and runs from room to room. And sometimes, I think just to prove to himself that he isn't a coward, he will hide around a corner and then jump out at the vacuum and bark at it. If you've ever had a 120 lb. dog jump out at you from around the corner and bark, then you would understand why I almost have an accident every time he does it. Sam loves to squeal and run away from the vacuum. He will run and then come back to egg on the vacuum and then run away again. And then how does he deal with his vacuum fear? When no one is looking and the vacuum is quiet, he simply dismantles it.
If anyone in this house should be afraid, it's the vacuum!