Red Chair Joy

Here's the thing about joy--it often finds you unexpectedly; coming out of nowhere when you least expect it. The trick, I have found, is to be paying attention, and to grab it when it is floating by.

I found joy in the strangest place today; I found it in a chair. A red chair, to be specific. No--I'm not kidding. A chair.

I decided, a few days ago, that I might take a bit of the money I inherited from my grandmother (Germambie, who as many of you know I lost back in February) and buy myself a new couch. She was a big one for joy, my grandmother. She lived and breathed it, in fact. But that's besides the point.

The point is, I have an old couch that I've re-covered, and stapled back together, and duct taped underneath so the cat couldn't climb up inside (Samhain, I'm looking at YOU). And I thought maybe I would finally go looking for a new one. Haven't found one yet. Instead, I found this.

Yes. It's a chair. A recliner, actually. And it is RED. Mind you, this isn't a great picture, and it is more of a wine-red than this shows. But still. Red.

I'm a woman who lives in a house where most of the walls are a nice mellow cream color. Whose tastes run to neutrals like black and brown and maybe a touch of slate blue/gray. And this chair is RED.

And when I saw it in the store, it caught my eye. I thought about it for two days, and tried to talk myself out of it. "Self," I said. "It's red. Not tan. Not black. RED." And my self said, "Don't care. Want it. JOY."

And so today, I went back and I bought it. And you know what? It makes me happy. This red chair, sitting in my living room, minding its own business and getting ready to collect cat hair in various shades of black and gray and even orange (I'm looking at you, Samhain). Why? Because it is comfortable, and fits in the space, and I can use it to write in. And because, for some inexplicable reason, it brings me joy. And joy is nothing to pass up, when it comes to you. Even if it is RED.

Clearly Angus agrees. Yay. Yellow cat fur. What was I thinking?

Oh, that's right--joy. Red chair joy.

What unexpected thing brought you joy? Really--I want to know.