Subterranean Stuff

A couple years ago, the home and personal organizing guru Marie Kondo famously advised us to eliminate from our lives any and all possessions that didn't "spark joy." Well, I spent the weekend clearing stuff out of our basement, but I was working from a different standard. The junk I disposed of was far, far from sparking joy. These were not borderline questions: Joy? Not joy? No, these were items that had long been insinuating themselves into my subconscious with vague, inchoate feelings of shame and disgust, items that had been accusing me of sloth and inattention for years. Was I joyful as I made progress on this task? Damn near.