Last
week we had almost six inches of rain in an hour. Our basement ended up
with over an inch of water on one side. We spent four hours
with two shop vacs, pulled up sopping carpet and moved shelves out of
the way. It's finally dried out, thank goodness.
A
crisis can make you look at things from another point of view. It
certainly made us ask some questions: Weren't we going to clean up
down here last winter? Why in the world do we have so much stuff in
the basement? Did we really need to keep that? Why was this
cardboard box on the floor?
Live
and learn. It's not like we are hoarders. Well, maybe we do hang on
to a few potentially useful objects “just in case”
or for future projects. Most of those were on shelves. At least we didn't put back as
much as we took out. Decisions are easier to make when the consequences are
fresh in your mind. If we didn't even remember having it, we surely
don't need it now.
Looking
at the bright side, nothing important was lost. The basement floor
has been mopped and there's no more carpet. We vacuumed behind
shelves and under the stairs. We have fewer items down there and a
plan to eliminate more.
I like this point of view.
