Skip to main content

Puzzling


I love putting jigsaw puzzles together.  It is my favorite way to relax.  I lose myself in examining shapes and colors and matching them.  I forget about any problems of the day, worries at the back of my mind, and my 'to do' list.  It is wonderful. 

I especially love puzzles that have lots of different things on the picture.  Instead of one big flower, I like a bunch of smaller things and many different colors.  Some of the puzzles I have had the most fun doing have been the ones with a variety of objects within the picture. 

For years I belonged to a jigsaw puzzle exchange group in Victoria.  It was great because for every 3 puzzles I bought, I got to do 15 or 20.  I could take them in once a month and exchange.  I got to do all sorts of puzzles that I would not have otherwise. 

Puzzles are pretty expensive.  They range from four or five dollars to 20 or 30.  They take anywhere from two to 8 hours to complete.  When I could exchange them it was so much easier to justify spending the money because if there was a puzzle that wasn't enjoyable, I could quit and trade it.  Since I have not found an exchange group in Austin, I have become much more particular about the puzzles I choose to buy. 

I recently got a puzzle that is my favorite of all time.  It shows the covers of famous books.  I love books and words, so it is nice to be able to have them to help me put it together.  Also, each cover is a small picture in itself.  I am having the best time putting it together.  My only regret, it is going to be done soon. 

My regret before the fact says more about my emotional issues than it does about puzzles.  And that is a story for another day.   Today, I will work on my puzzle with joy and gratitude that I have such a great tool for relaxing.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overwhelmed

I had been chiding myself or really driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to address the torrent of shocking, frightening, unbelievable new policies, orders and changes to our society.  I have been zooming back and forth – a call here, a letter there, a petition, protests, town halls, posting – trying to figure out what I can do.  The feeling of inadequacy is compounded by my physical limitations.  This morning I realized that if I had 500 times the energy and 1000 times the physical strength, stamina, and fitness I still wouldn’t be able to address all that I care about.  There is simply too much.    There are numerous things that touch on my personal life, things that hurt people I know and love, and things that are wrong and impact many people.  I am for free speech, civil rights, reproductive rights, voting rights, equality, a welcoming immigration system, a government that works for the people.  I care about education, social servic...
1 comment
Read more

Harborsick

I feel harborsick.  I am not homesick because I don't really feel a sense of home anywhere.  I read books about people who are so comfortable and familiar in their towns, homes, work, and relationships and I don't feel that right now.  I do feel that there are familiar harbors – people and places that I feel comfortable and "at home" with.   But, I don't have a spot I long to put anchor.  There is not a place I belong . I want to claim my familiar harbor.   A feeling of belonging and purpose and where I know I am always welcome and I can be completely comfortable and myself.  I want to feel there is a place I can return to and feel I fit.  A port where everyone speaks my language.  A Cheers vibe if you will. I was talking to my sister this morning and she brought up some ancestral ties to other countries and where we would like to visit.  There are a few countries I would like to visit.  Italy, especially, has al...
Post a Comment
Read more

Patterns

I wonder how much of my jaded instantaneous instinct to squelch is learned and how much is a part of my personality.  I so quickly turn to no.  Yet, I feel that as a child I was sunny.  I was bright and wanted to believe in hope and good.  My experiences as a child and the ways of reacting to life I saw as examples in my life were the exact opposite of hope and good.    How much damage did the abuse do?  What did it change or form in me? Was nature part of it – did I pick up skepticism from my parents through DNA?  It is easy to trace some responses in my life directly to what I saw modeled.  Other things I have worked for years to change my reaction to learn a new way.  That is just as important and it might be that it only redirected me back to my natural essence.    I wonder about these things.  And a part of me examines my thoughts and responses to events in life from things as simple as a chance remark overheard t...
Post a Comment
Read more