I like things that can be repaired

I like things that can be repaired.  Those things are special; they know how to live.  Not in a reckless way but in a way that contains a story.  Stories are important; they give life meaning.  A repair is a type of story.  Maybe not the full story but part of the story.

photo by Jami Milne

For example, my black sports coat.  I’ve wanted a black suit for over a decade.  Really. I imagined what I wanted when I couldn’t afford it.  I knew someday I would and I was in no rush.  A few years ago, this jacket found me.  It was the missing piece in my wardrobe puzzle.  I’ve conducted in this jacket, I’ve played saxophone in this jacket, and most importantly, I got married in this jacket.  That’s why when a local dry cleaner crushed the buttons (No sir, they’re not cheap plastic, they’re mother of pearl) and replaced them without telling me, AND tried to pass it off as if nothing happened, I was devastated.  “Did you demand they fix it?”  No, they already showed me they couldn’t do quality work.  I’ve learned that in my old age: if someone shows you they can’t do quality work, don’t ask them to do more; you will be disappointed…trust me but learn for yourself.  “Did you give them a bad Yelp review?”  No.  That’s another thing I’ve learned; don’t make stupid people famous plus it’s so passive-aggressive.  Ask yourself: “what do you want to accomplish and where do you want to put your energy; in the problem or in the solution? 

I took my jacket and my broken buttons and went to the one person I trust with fabric: Nathalie Girod.  I so admire Nathalie’s work.  I don’t attend a lot of fashion shows but I’ve been to two of hers.  Check her out on instagram.com/isa.maisa  and see her work yourself at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines.  Lisa has a dress that Nathalie made.  She wore it at our wedding reception.  Back to my jacket, Nathalie said “it’s a quick fix.  You do, however, need to decide on your buttons.”  I took a chance and wrote the company that made it because what did I have to lose?  They got back to me, we exchanged several emails, they told me they sent me the buttons, but they never arrived, and then they didn’t reply to my followup emails.  How’s that for a story?  Still looking for a solution and not a problem, I returned to Nathalie.  Nathalie gave Lisa some buttons for me to consider and they were perfect.  I was so happy when I got the jacket back; repaired with a story.  I wore it for a concert a few weeks ago and I’ll wear it for my upcoming shows with BYOBrass.

My saxophone is another thing that can be repaired.  A physical mechanical thing with moving parts that wear down from use.  I bought the saxophone new in 2013.  Designed by Randy Jones, that year of TM Customs were special.  Randy even said so when he worked on my horn a year ago.  With the pads being all original, they were shrinking and not in alignment anymore.  I played it all I could this year and in the past two months, I noticed the response time was getting slower and I had to work harder on some notes.  I called up one of my favorite saxophone players, repairman, walking encyclopedia of saxophone knowledge, and outstanding human: Simon Harding.  I met Simon years ago when he was working at Tenor Madness.  Since then, he’s opened up his own shop with Jimmy Jensen called J&H Winds.  https://www.jhwinds.com/about 

Gil, the J&H Winds mascot

Simon asked me “what’s your gig schedule, I’ll work around it?”  I said “I’ve got nothing on my calendar”  Two days later, Courtney Krause called me for two dates.  Then BYOBrass called me for two more!  I called Simon back and said “you’re the best thing that’s happened to my gig schedule!”  We found a time for him to take it and he put me at ease when he said “it’s not as bad as you described but I need to replace some pads.”  I’ve been expecting this repair for a year, so I was ready for him to say anything.  I went up to his shop to pick it up and try it out.  There’s something so special about getting your horn repaired.  When you don’t have to work or fight the instrument, that’s when you play your best.  The instrument is just doing its job and allowing you to be creative.  Like I say to my students, “they’re not listening to your saxophone, they’re listening to you.”

My car, a Toyota Camry that I got 12 years ago with 82,000 miles on it now has 241,000 miles on it and it’s running like it has 241,000 more miles in it.  I’ve been going to Big O Tires in Urbandale for ten years and they’ve always done quality work for me.  When I take it into the shop, I always say “is it cheaper than a new car?”  So far, the answer has always been “yes.”  Someday, it might not be but I’m in no hurry.  Until then, I’ll get it repaired.

The body can be repaired.  As a kid, I was always the one getting hurt.  I’ve fallen out of so many trees, off of so many bikes, and onto so much concrete, dirt, and gravel.  Dirt and blood was what summer was all about.  I got smarter as I got older…not immediately but eventually.  I remember calling my girlfriend from Big Sky, Montana.  I must have been 25 or 26.  The band had just arrived for a week of shows at the ski resort.  We went snowboarding before our first show and I was new to snowboarding.  When I called her, I said, “I’m ok but I hit a tree”   My ass had the biggest bruise on it.  It slowly repaired itself…not immediately but eventually.

Relationships can be repaired.  Maybe not immediately.  Maybe not the way you want it to.  Maybe not in the span of time you imagined.  Like most repairs, time is the healer.  With a broken bone, it’s not the cast that repairs it.  The cast protects it while it heals.  With relationships, we sometimes need to retreat to a cast, cave, or cocoon and allow time to do the work.  Be patient and focus on your own work.

Countries can heal.  Even ours.  A democracy needs an open conversation and a respect for institutions.  Silence is not repair.  Democracy is noisy because it needs multiple conversations from multiple perspectives to work.  Keep talking and don’t ever be silenced.

I prefer for repair over replacement.  New isn’t always better.  Consumerism might lead you to believe that it is but pause the next time you purchase something, “Can you repair it?”  Would you value it more if you could?  Will that respect bring you more joy?