Red Ireland
by Tanner Olson
writtentospeak.com

My first big purchase after graduating from college was a red couch.

I named the couch Red Ireland.

Red, because the couch was red.

Ireland, because of potatoes and I was, well, a couch potato.

It’s a weird thing to name a couch, but I did.

I was living alone in St. Louis and spent most of my time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

All of my friends were getting married and having babies and getting promotions and here I was naming a couch.

Life back then was simple and slow.

I’d spend nights sitting on the couch writing and dreaming and praying.

On that couch I wrote hundreds of poems and blog posts and stories.

On that couch I dreamed about the day when I would have my own book or poems to share in front of an audience.

On that couch I prayed to God that He would give me the words to write and direction to go, but mostly I asked that everything would work out okay.

Last night at the show in Gurnee, Illinois there was a couch just like Red Ireland.

I noticed it half-way through the show and couldn’t help but be hit by a wave of thankfulness.

The Bible teaches us that a rainbow is a symbol of God’s faithfulness, but last night a couch reminded me of it as well.

It’s been a long 10 years full of ups and downs, but everything worked out okay.

Just like I prayed it would 10 years ago while sitting on Red Ireland.

With hope,

Tanner Olson
@writtentospeak

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.