Beauty, Piece by Piece

We are all important parts of a much larger system, pieces of the universe’s puzzle that would not be complete without us.

Russell Eric Dobda, American author of How to Spin the World Around

To ensure that I took a real break of few tasks and fewer thoughts over the holidays, I bought myself a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle as a Christmas present. It took a long time to search through Amazon’s selections to find this year’s puzzle but finally the “Tapestry Cat” jumped out because it reminded me of my quilted cat.

Alas, this year I couldn’t match the standard set in 2017 when I spent three days in my pyjamas — but I did make an admirable effort. This year it took four days to complete the puzzle and I only abandoned the PJs on two mornings due to outside commitments for which it’s best to dress. ;-)

Although I think of jigsaw puzzles as relaxing it is daunting to face a box full of jumbled pieces. Being a jigsaw novice, I lack any strategic approach to solving puzzles. There’s probably a “right way” to quickly complete the picture but I simply enjoy the journey that slowly reveals the whole picture, piece by piece, often being surprised by details I hadn’t noticed. The creativity and cunning (there are tricks) of the jigsaw artists amaze me.

Already I have eyed the puzzle I want for Boxing Day 2020 in my quest to maintain a restful tradition.

I hope all my kind readers enjoyed a safe and restful holiday.