Annual Spring chores weave through my weeks. Some, like raking and bagging leaves, take many days and have a high reward feedback. Nothing feels better than toning my muscles while raking, bending, and hauling away winter’s debris. Sitting on the ground, planting bulbs or standing over fresh soil scattering flower seeds shifts me into a waiting game. What will push through the ground? Will this new plant enjoy the spot I’ve found for it?
Over the years, I’ve grown to love caring for my mother’s outdoor wind chime collection. When we traveled together after Dad died, Mom began seeking out wind chimes as a souveunir for our adventures. Many of them hung inside her apartment and assisted living room. Those indoor chimes found a spot in my sister’s kitchen. The outdoor ones hung in our Mountain Laurel bush by our front door. Occasionally, I added my own to the collection. Every year since Mom’s death, I’ve cared for them.
The other day, I removed all of the wind chimes to inspect which ones could be repaired and repainted. One of the newer ones, topped with cardinals, had rusted beyond repair. I cut off the parts with an eye of scalvaging pieces for repairing missing parts of other chimes. As the hot tub’s tarp will be replaced soon, I decided to use it as my painting surface. Selecting paint colors gets narrowed into only a few options as I love using whatever supply remains in our bins from the leftovers of other art projects. This added layer of challenge turns into unexpected color choices each year, but it means nothing goes to waste in our art supplies.
Adding a new wind chime to my collection became extremely easy as I found the perfect fairy perched by the moon to suspend in the bush. Her position in the Mountain Laurel rippled into shifting all of the others into slightly different spots. I spent as much time rehanging each one as I did in repairing them.
This ritual, “repair, repaint, replace, rehang” sets the tone for everything I do in my life. As the world batters me and my relationships, I keep keenly focused on what can be repaired and restored. I have shifted some friendships into new places, rehanging them by tucking them to secure places. They still impact my life, but a little distance gives me the ability to find new people that bring me joy.
Copyright 2026 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
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LOVE listening to JCMG MUSIC's "Smile You're on Camera" when doing all of my projects!
