I have been pretty lazy about cleaning and clearing up my guest room for some weeks now. I finally got to it. Understandably, there was so much dust and dirt. I spent a lot longer time cleaning than I would have if only I’d done it sooner.

It was not all dreary and tiring. I had a number of learning opportunities and was even overcome with nostalgia for some minutes.

I found a very old baby bathing set used by one of my children. It was a white bath with a semi-automatic shower and an anti-skid mat. It brought such a wide grin to my face.

I remembered very specific details of some of my son’s bath experience – getting the water ready at optimum temperature, cleaning his mouth and tongue, applying shampoo to his hair and making sure that it did not get into his eyes, frantically giving him a bath to get rid of any dirt yet being as gentle as ever to ensure that I did not hurt him, and so much more. Bath time almost always came with a fuss. I sat on the bed for a few minutes to take it all in. How so much has changed. He’s a tween now and no longer requires my help with bathing. He has definitely outgrown that stage.

I also found a few old clothes of mine, makeup, and a manicure kit. I smiled as I realized that I had since outgrown my appetite for such clothing. While I still groomed my nails every once in a while, I had outgrown those colours of nail polish. They no longer piqued my interest. It was a testament to how much I have changed and grown.