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Ever wallpapered a room with your spouse? Probably not; history shows us that far too many marriages have ended with unmatched patterns, overlapping seams and unpapered areas behind the door.

I’ve heard it said that the true test of a marriage is survival of ‘the wallpapering’!

And to those people I say, “Obviously you’ve never run a business with your husband”.

If you had, then you’d know that everyday is like wallpapering a room; each morning greets you with four walls and dozens of rolls of paper. Sometimes the pattern on the rolls change, or the size of the room is larger, and sometimes, there are so many rooms to paper, you can’t agree on which one to tackle first.

All analogies aside, a full time working relationship with your husband, can be an enormous challenge and not one that you should embark upon without great forethought and some very extensive professional counseling.

So over the past weeks, I have taken the time to come up with four (yes, only 4) tips to offer to those of you are under the delusion that working with the ‘man of your dreams’ is as easy as cutting and pasting. Please note that this is a short list. The list of disadvantages is available in Volumes I to IV.

1. Never take your wallpaper home with you. I know it’s inevitable that the rolls will end up on your kitchen table, somewhere between the mashed potatoes and the carrots, but the only thing you’ll accomplish is spilling the gravy.

2. Take vacations far, far away from the office and wallpaper supply stores, preferably another country or continent. Our general rule of thumb is that if we can get home within 6 hours it’s too close. We tried the cottage thing once and had to drive back one evening because of a crisis. Yes, you guessed it, someone was short a roll.

3. Remember that eventually, your 24/7 partnership will evolve to a deeper level…..you’ll be able to read each other’s minds. My particular favourite is the ability to say “NO” before he opens his mouth to give his well rehearsed speech on why he needs the new iPad. It’s the same speech he used to attempt to justify why a CEO needs to drive a Lamborghini – as if that’s likely to happen.

4. Lastly, and most importantly is to remember that often the wallpapering does go well. You might just have some successes on your hands. And, at the end of the day, isn’t it nice to share your triumphs and accolades with the most important person in your life.

Of course, if you think wallpapering may be too much of a strain on your relationship then consider an alternative like painting. I heard Mr. and Mrs. Michelangelo did a fine job of mastering the art of ceilings!

- Cathy Lawn

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