Living in Chains

For my wrist chains, 10 inches is the longest I use. I can rake the yard, wash dishes and do most chores. A 10-inch chain is short enough that I’m constantly bumping into its limit and my arms don’t hang at my sides, they hang in front. Shorter chains are, of course, shorter and more restrictive. At 7 inches, I can do about 95% of what I can do at 10 inches, just a little slower. 7 inches is my default length with 10 inches for times when I’m working with large, bulky objects. Below about 5 inches, things we normally do with two hands, like washing or drying dishes, become difficult because we can’t get our hands far enough apart to scrub the middle of the plate while holding onto the edge. (A note on handling dishes in chains: go slowly the first few times, it’s surprisingly easy to break or chip dishes and glassware with the chain if you move quickly and get the chain slinging around.) Less than 5 inches, we effectively have one not-very-flexible arm and one extra-large hand. The most difficult household task with any wrist restraint is folding sheets!