Strip It!

[lightoftruth83]

So...I began remodeling my bathroom today! This is a really crazy thing for me to do, considering that I once had a very very VERY bad run in with plumbing once before (funny funny story for a later day.) My bathroom is a hundred years old and needs more cosmetic work than octomom.

I love being able to actually fix something, to bring it back to life and I quickly lost track of time as I tore up my bathroom. It started with just a tug of a corner of some ugly wall paper, which turned into entire walls being stripped bare. I pulled off trim pieces, towel bars, cup holders...you get the idea.

It's a mess under there! People have painted over wall paper, put up whacky finishes on the walls, and I even found a damp spot on the wall behind the shower head (yay fun!!).

Not so strangely, I began to think about this project like a relationship...

Sometimes we meet a person who might seem pretty decent, or perhaps just workable. Then we spend some time with them, maybe even build a life with them. Over time, the flaws become more evident...Maybe they were always there, or maybe they are just coming to the surface...First we tolerate them...then we pick at them...and sometimes the walls come tumbling down and we get a rare view of what no one on the outside sees...There's some quality craftsmanship, but damaged by years of wear and tear...and perhaps someone before us saw a little bit of that and tried poorly to fix it...threw some paint on it, covered it up...walked away...Now you've got the idea, it can be a real mess under there!

So, I was sitting back looking at my sole bathroom wondering what the hell I had just done. In a way, seeing all the damage made me want to throw a lousy coat of paint back up and call it done...but I can't.

Just like when the walls come tumbling down in a relationship it's burn or build time. And if you choose to build, you've gotta strip it. Strip it all the way down to the bare bones. It will be ugly and raw for sure. Don't worry about it being pretty. (After all, was it pretty to begin with or just a facade?) Then put your soul into rebuilding. Make a plan and be excited about it! Throw yourself into it, and get lost in it...have fun with it. In the end should the house collapse anyways (wink wink there's my funny story) at least you can walk away knowing you weren't just another ****ty craftsman.

Wish I could post pics, I"m sure this little remodeling journey of mine is going to be hilarious!

Peace & Love

J

[updown]

what a wonderful analogy!! i have been waiting to "start my life" or get on with it, or whatever...... and it's finally going to happen soon. not as big of a physical task as you're facing, but i'm ready for the change and changes that will be ( have to be made). some of them are cosmetic like you're talking about, and others no one will ever see, but *I* know they are there......

it's an adventure and a journey, that's for sure!

 

best of luck with your bathroom redo!

[Duckduckgoose]

I felt kind of the same way when I got a futon for Xmas and had to assemble it. That was usually a task relegated to the now exH. I was so happy when I got the whole damn thing in my car (including cushions), dragged it up some steep stairs to my apartment, and assembled it. I now had something to sit on besides some damn wooden chairs!

 

I also feel empowered when I can drag my mountain bike up said stairs. These stairs suck... they are narrow and steep. My bike weighs 30 something pounds. A 125 lb female dragging a heavy full suspension bike up steep narrow stairs is pretty impressive. That too was a task the exH took care of, as he was tall, quite muscular, and could hoist the thing pretty high to clear those stairs with ease.

 

No house to remodel here, just a one bedroom apartment that got redecorated after it got half-emptied

 

But projects help keep a woman busy