Originally published February 16, 2009
I’m in New York City today and tomorrow stripping old wallpaper. Which isn’t exactly my idea of a great time in the Big Apple. But I have no one to blame but myself.
In my “professional” life, I’m the finance manager for Fred Flare, Inc., the retail business my entrepreneur son and his partner created ten years ago. I handle contracts and leases; banking issues and credit card processors; lawyers and accountants. I’m responsible for balancing the company’s various checking accounts to the penny.
But when my son, Keith, was little I loved to wallpaper. So when he and Chris opened a retail store, they decided to have a paper mural on one wall and change it every quarter to match the seasons. They called and offered me the job because it meant I came to New York, and we were able to work together for a couple days and then enjoy leisurely dinners in the evening.
I’ve learned I still love to put up wallpaper, but I do not love stripping the old to make way for the new. By today’s end, my best jeans were covered with glue; my fingernails were sticky; and wallpaper bits clung to my shirt and hair. Thinking of a great dinner in a charming bistro was what kept me going.
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