With the arrival of fall, we now have many of the windows in our house open in the afternoons. Instead of keeping them shut against summer’s afternoon heat or the soon-coming cold of winter, we have them open to welcome in the fresh air and the crisp fall breeze.

I have wind chimes hanging inside my kitchen window. Hanging wind chimes inside may seem odd to you, but we get some pretty fierce winds racing through our canyon, so outside wind chimes can sometimes sound frantic and wild (in addition to the fact that, as a light sleeper, their nighttime chiming can wake me up).

With the wind chimes just inside my window, they tinkle gently when a breeze blows. Whenever I hear them playing their melodic song, I stop what I am doing and listen. Their gentle music reminds me to breathe deeply.

Their rich sounds, distinctive from all of the other noises in my house, help to calm my mind and my nerves though their calming tones and by shifting my attention.

When the passionate and energetic playing of my two boys starts to feel more chaotic than I want it inside our house, I can bring them to quiet by reminding them to listen for the wind chimes. (It’s hard listen for their magical tinkle without pausing your jumping, yelling, and chasing.)

Years ago, the mother of a friend of mine told me that the vibrations of wind chimes can help to heal and restore the soul (she said this as frantically rearranged my tiny graduate-student living space to ensure good energy flow and propitious academic pursuits).

I’ve never felt quite sure about how to judge if statement was true. However, I recently reflected on the wonderful way that the sound of my wind chimes gently singing can bring me into the present moment and remind me to reconnect with myself. And that moment is definitely healing and restorative.

Do you have wind chimes hanging near your home? Do you enjoy them? Does anyone else hang their wind chimes inside?