Mark Spruill

We’re finally drying out in Atlanta.  The flood caused a mess in a lot of basements, including ours.   We’ve spent the past week moving furniture, pulling up wet carpet, and drying out floors.  There was dirt hiding under the carpet, and some mold hiding under the vinyl in the hallway. 

The thing about the mold under the vinyl is, I think it’s been there a long time.   It took a flood to finally give us the incentive to pull it up and pour on the bleach.  Don’t get me wrong.  I regret the flood happened.   But, if it hadn’t been for the flood, that old carpet dirt and moldy vinyl would still be on the floor.  It might even be making us sick.  

The floor is hard and rough looking now.  No carpet pad sandwiched between dirt and dog pee.  Just plain, cold concrete.  Even so, there is something refreshing about it.   It is what it is.  There’s nothing covered up.  Nothing lurking under the surface.  And the basement is beginning to smell clean. 

Sometimes I think people are like that dirty carpet and moldy vinyl.  Washed clean on the outside, but with dirt and goo underneath the surface.  Perhaps we should all learn a lesson from my basement.  Pull up the mess and get rid of the facade.  Stop pretending and come clean.  We might see a few rough edges, but I bet the air will be a bit fresher.