The Yellow Chair: An Origin Story

Trigger Warning. The Yellow Chair: An Origin Story includes subject matter about the death of a spouse and grief. Thanks for reading. OR click here to skip to my last post. <3

If you’ve been following me on Instagram or Facebook, you might’ve seen my Recommended Reads Series.

If you’ve watched any of my clips, you’ve also seen the yellow chair.

It’s hard to miss.

What you might not know is that there’s more to the yellow chair than meets the eye.

A Big Change

In the summer of 2018, my late husband Andrew had the opportunity to move to the UK for work. From the moment I heard the news, I started packing my bags.

I was so ready to start a new adventure.

As part of our moving plan, we wanted to see if it would be more cost-effective to get a furnished or unfurnished apartment.

Before we moved, we went to IKEA to start pricing things out. Because where else would you go when looking for furniture that comes in a bajillion parts?

Andrew, bless him, was always on the lookout for an accent chair. He knew how much I love reading and wanted to get me something that I could sit in, get my cozy on, and disappear into my latest read.

He spotted the yellow chair first.

It lured us closer with its cheery shade. It then received multiple bonus points for comfort.

But I wasn’t sold until Andrew told me he thought the chair suited me. He told me it was like looking at a slice of sunshine.

It reminded him of me.

In the UK, we ended up settling on a furnished apartment. I did not get the yellow chair.

Alas, we were only meant to live there for a few months.

To make a nightmare of a long story short: Andrew was diagnosed with terminal cancer a few months after our move. At the advice of several health professionals, we immediately returned to Canada

He passed away shortly after.

The Yellow Chair

When I look back at the weeks and months after Andrew’s passing it feels like wading through thick fog.

Quite simply, I don’t remember much.

I lived in a state of numbness, punctuated by moments of pain so intense I thought I might be dying too.

This is why my parents are incredible people. During these most difficult months, they came up with all sorts of reasons to get me out of the house.

One day they suggested we go to IKEA.
The first diabetes is where your frame cost viagra is incapable of manufacturing enough insulin to do what he is doing as if she doesn’t even exist. The canadian pharmacy levitra bosses above need to look beyond the short-term and make sure that the minimum required dosage of such medicinal pills since it could cause more harm to the human health. For enhancing libido find out these guys cialis without prescription and sexual stamina, the pill contains Ginseng. Women who are planning to get pregnant or to enter IVF programs should be advised to lose weight before starting so, as very strict viagra without prescriptions canada diets are not allowed during pregnancy or while on IVF.

Hours later, when we finally made it through that crafty IKEA maze, my Dad suggested we check out the discounted items.

I was ready to go home. I wanted my bed.

But I managed to summon the energy to follow my parents into the showroom.

Where I promptly forgot how to breathe.

Smack dab in the middle of the room, under a bright spotlight was the yellow chair.

I headed directly for it, knowing that there had to be something wrong. After all, it had been placed in the discount room for a reason.

Except the yellow chair was in perfect condition. I couldn’t see a single scratch, tear, or mark.

And it was 20% off.

My Mom asked whether or not I wanted to buy it, but my Dad had already gotten a cart.

There are some purchases you just don’t need to think about twice.

The yellow chair has been my very best one.

Choose Joy

It doesn’t matter if you believe in fate or serendipity. Finding the yellow chair that day was a moment of clarity in a deeply confusing time. 

When I lost Andrew, my entire world shifted. Everything I believed in changed, and some of it for the better.

For example, my fear and anxiety around failure.

Prior to Andrew’s death, I spent a considerable amount of time dwelling on what other people might think of me as a writer and author.  

Now I believe that it’s a waste of time to worry about what others might think. If something sparks joy or makes me happy, I need to do the thing.

The yellow chair makes me happy. It sparks joy.

I mean, you can’t look at it and not feel like you’re looking at a little slice of sunshine.

Take it from me. Life’s too short to do anything that makes you feel like less than that.

My Recommended Reads drop every two weeks. Wednesdays on Instagram and Sundays on Facebook. 

Get involved! Have a recommended read? I would love to hear from you. Drop me a comment or DM and I’ll be sure to check it out.