I have the task of stripping off the wallpaper. As I get into ripping the top layer off, my mind wanders back to the time when the wallpaper was first applied. The kids were all little. This house was an upgrade from the old farmhouse we lived in previously. I was busy working full time and raising a family - where did I ever find the energy? The bright flowery print matched the teal tiles perfectly and was a quick and economical way to brighten up a room that has seen a constant stream of family running in and out. Some of the family faces are the same, although changed with age. Some belong to sons-in-law and grandchildren barely dreamed of when the paper was applied. And some family faces are now absent marking just another phase in the passage of time.
For just a moment it seems a shame to rip that paper off and change it all. But it isn’t the absence of the paper that makes the change. The changes have already taken place and the powder room is just catching up. Getting ready, as we all should be, for the next phase of life. Getting the update for the next 25 years.