Erasing the white board

Or perhaps to give it the merit that it has come to deserve: Erasing the White Board.

Is not an easy thing to do I have discovered – that will teach me to make what’s on it so important or at least to change more frequently.

The origins of the white board in the downstairs WC came with the kitchen renovation five years ago when I lost the side of the refrigerator. We transferred the bulletin board to the WC then I found a white board in plastic that could simply be stuck to the wall – and pulled back off if need be. It was a precious addition during the years that I had a housemate and became our communication central. Sometimes they were useful messages, sometimes simply a hi – have a good day, or flowers drawn by non-artists (me); Christmas trees, or tulips or Easter deco according to the season.

When my younger son moved out after 18 months at home there was less need, then my housemate was gone a lot and we too eventually agreed that she and her husband needed to live on their own, thus leaving no one with whom I needed to communicate on a regular basis. By then, though it was a fixture and simply taking it down not acceptable.

When younger son asked if he could have a group of camp counselors here for a briefing I had a whimsical idea: yes, if they would each be willing to write “welcome” in their language on the white board.

Over the remaining months of the year there was the odd addition when I had someone new and the last was a good friend on New Year’s Eve who added the language that she and I are learning – and that for some reason or the other never made it on the white board before then.

It is time to erase the White Board and start something new, but I also noticed that in the end there is “welcome” in 12 different languages – one for each month. Makes it doubly hard to erase.

I must now come up with something to replace it – and something to which I won’t become as attached.

Are people still welcome here: OF COURSE! Just don’t expect to find it written in the toilet should you need to use the facilities during your visit.