The Problem with Hanging On Too Long

It feels like we have been in a pattern of extreme weather in our area & in my house every storm causes a small sense of panic as we all cross our fingers and hope it passes quickly.   You see we have struggled to keep our basement dry when heavy rain hits.  And the possibility of dealing with a wet basement has been a big reminder that there is no time like the present to make sure we aren’t storing extra stuff.  

Here’s a recap of a storm that really put things in perspective for us. 

The rain was coming down in sheets, as it had been all afternoon.  And since our house is surrounded by large trees, we need to be mindful of our gutters filling up from tree debris- buds, leaves, helicopters- all that stuff!

Well, life had been a little too full to find time to clean out the gutters.  So…  heavy rain + a full gutter = water in our laundry/storage room.  We discovered the puddle/stream before it had too much time to do any major damage, but it still made a mess because our laundry/storage room is the space where items wait to be moved on or dealt with.  That evening when the rain started seeping up from the floor, a mattress & bed-frame that were waiting to be passed on to someone else (either donated or sold) got soaked!  Ugh!!!  

It was so frustrating and sad.  But it was a reminder that when we allow things to sit and wait, they aren’t able to do their jobs.  They are often forgotten & neglected and that’s when things can start to happen.  Mold can grow.  Papers can deteriorate.  Dust can settle.  Water can stain.

Our perfectly good items ended up at The Recycling Center instead of getting put to use in someone else’s home.  I know it could have been worse, but it still created a mess.  And I have found that when you are storing lots of extra clutter in your space, then a little mess can quickly turn into a big one.