Patricia Stoltey

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The Great (Pink) Recliner Shopping Trip with Mom

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The reason I was unplugged all last week? I went over to Illinois to visit my almost 95-year-old mom who’s now in assisted living.

Mom was ready for me. The shopping list was really long….and by the time I returned from that first excursion, she had a new list ready. It was longer than the first one.

The one big item she wanted to shop for was a new recliner. Her old one was in pretty good shape as chairs go, but when she had it recovered many years ago, she selected a pretty fabric that turned out to be scratchy. Mom doesn’t like scratchy stuff.

Thinking I’d be making her shopping trip a lot easier, I scouted out the recliner store ahead of time, spending an hour learning all about the power versus manual recline options, soft comfy fabrics, the chaise footrest versus the open footrest, etc. I found the four chairs I thought would work best and picked up my mother to go see them.

Mom didn’t really like any of the four I thought best. She spotted two she liked from a distance, both brightly colored pink. One was too big for her, but the other fit fine.

I convinced her to sit in a couple other chairs for comparison, including the one with the handheld remote. She followed along, sat in each one, said she didn’t want the remote because if she was tired enough to recline, she’d go to bed.

Back she went to the pink chair.

The saleslady and I suggested that maybe she didn’t really need a recliner if she never intended to recline it. Mom grudgingly pushed her walker to the other side of the store to check out the non-reclining chairs. All of them were too deep or too high or too something.

Back she went to the pink chair, which by then was beginning to grow on me..

I pulled up the price tag. Apparently the color had been discontinued. The chair was on sale for about 1/3 the price of the chairs I’d originally picked out.

Sold!

I sure wish I’d thought of snapping a photo before we left the store because I was on my way back to Colorado when the chair was delivered. I say that chair was the pinkest pink I’ve ever seen in my life.

Mom decided to call it watermelon.

Pink. It’s pink.

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Comments

  4. Right after my sister got married, she took me with her to help pick out the first Christmas tree for her and her husband. Jokingly, I pointed to a little pink tree and said, “Oh Debbie, you need that pink tree. It is calling to you, buy me, give me a good home.” Needless to say, she ended up with the pink tree and a great Christmas memory. Of course, after that, I was never invited by anyone in the family to help pick out Christmas trees.

  5. Reminds me of the day my sister and I took our Mom to pick out a recliner. She didn’t end up choosing anything that day. So count yourself lucky and a patient daughter who has a great sense of humor.

  7. As I was reading, I was wishing you’d taken a picture. It sounds like it will be perfect for her and the price is right. By the way, pretty sure there is an extra jewel in your crown for all that work on her bottom’s behalf!

  8. Watermelon is a cute name for a chair, regardless of its color.

    I love this bit of wisdom:

    “…she didn’t want the remote because if she was tired enough to recline, she’d go to bed.”

    You just don’t find that kind of common sense much these days.

    Thanks for the chuckles, Pat. A great story.

  9. I have to say, those two pink chairs in a sea of conservative colors did stand out. I suspect Mom is getting a lot of attention with a steady stream of visitors to view her new chair. 😀

  12. Hi Patricia .. so pleased she found HER chair .. and what an amazing colour Pink and more Pink … sounds fun and she’ll enjoy having it ..

    Well done – bet you’re shopped out now! Cheers and welcome home .. Hilary