I believe in the red chair. The red chair is a metaphor for being comfortable with [the possibility of] making mistakes. As a simulation in my Life Mastery Skills class, my eighth-grade teacher put a chair in the middle of the room and gave us one rule: do not touch the chair. Right away there were many kids who defied the teacher’s instructions and purposely touched it, sat in it, and picked it up. Others didn’t want to get anywhere near it and stood as far away from the chair as possible. I was one of very few, who didn’t think much about the chair being there, but just walked past it if I needed to. In the middle of the simulation, my teacher began explaining why both, the people who were pushing the boundaries and those who followed the rules perfectly, are not open to learning. For those who stay as far from the chair as possible, they are not open to learning and experiencing life. If they accidently touch the chair, they are unable to function, because they feel like they messed up so much. The people who purposely touch the chair are also closed to learning because they are putting all of their energy towards it that they aren’t concerned about having other experiences or participating in other activities. The teacher encouraged everyone to be comfortable with the chair, but don’t try to excessively touch it.

If you think about it, baking is closely related to the Red Chair, since there is always the chance that you will make a mistake. I remember making chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale the next day, and instead of using vanilla extract, I accidently put in mint extract. When my mom, and I tried the cookies, I asked her if she tasted any mint like I did. Going back over the steps, we realized my mistake and giggled together. It was a simple mistake, and easy to not hold against myself, but I still experienced something new and learned a lesson. I have to pay close attention to when I grab the ingredient from the cupboard, and then check the bottle before I put it into the mix. Many people question, why others bake if there is a chance you can make so many mistakes. You could bake it for too long or too short, or not at the right temperature. You could forget to add an ingredient or use too much of one. I can only answer for myself, but I love to bake because it is fun to experiment and make different foods, it gives a chance to take a breath from other things that consume my life, and it distracts my hands from all the other work I need to do.

Making mistakes is part of life, it’s how we learn. It is inevitable that we don’t make a single mistake in our lifetime. Making a mistake will not kill, but make you stronger. It will not end you if you bump into the red chair every once in awhile. Everyone has, or will end up doing it at some point in their life. Mistakes are what make you, you. The red chair is my metaphor for being comfortable with [the possibility of] making mistakes, this I believe.