Life is a Jigsaw Puzzle
Jigsaw puzzles have been a steadfast part of our lives. In many ways, they reflect life itself, many pieces coming together to form a single picture-the story of our lives. Different shapes and sizes, put in place with help from others along the way-pieces held, turned, studied, manipulated, and settled into place.
As my mom aged, we spent a good deal of time doing jigsaw puzzles around the kitchen table. We started with 1,000 pieces, eventually went to 500, then 300, then 150 and close to her departure, just 36. I watched her age through the number of pieces on the puzzle box. Anyone who walked in the house would sit down and add a piece or two. As the pieces came together so did we. All of those hours spent still remain in my heart.
Mom always had the seat at the head of the table. The pieces stretched out before her on a large piece of plywood that she could move at dinner time without disturbing the puzzle’s progress. I think the plywood was a homemade leaf from our old dining room table.
Sometimes it was quiet- meditative -puzzles can take you there. Other times there’d be chatter as we all tried to squeeze around the table. Conversation would be about the puzzle itself, the places, the colors, the feelings imbedded in the images. Other times it was about the birds at the birdfeeder, memories, life itself. I wonder how many feelings remain in those puzzle pieces. I imagine mom’s fingerprints still linger there as well.
If the puzzle was missing a piece upon completion, mom would trace the shape of the missing piece on a small square of notepaper and tape it to the box-just in case someone might find it-or so you know what’s missing the next time you go to do the puzzle.
I’m sure there are small amounts of dopamine released each time you set a puzzle piece in its proper place. There is this minute joy and feeling of accomplishment. Therefore each 500-piece puzzle comes with 500 tiny doses of dopamine. And the final piece, the biggest joy of all was always reserved for mom.
Some puzzles have created family traditions-on Thanksgiving we start the holiday season with our Christmas socks and the 500-piece puzzle of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree. There are certainly jigsaw puzzles to celebrate every season.
Some might ponder the value of time spent doing jigsaw puzzles, the endless hours that eventually lead to a dismantling and storing away, but the practice is filled with undeniable benefits:
Jigsaw puzzles are known to exercise the left and right sides of your brain at once.
Jigsaw puzzles improve your short-term memory.
Jigsaw puzzles improve your visual-spatial reasoning.
Jigsaw puzzles are a great meditation tool and stress reliever.
Jigsaw puzzles are a great way to connect with family.
Jigsaw puzzles can also be great for some needed alone time.
Puzzling is wonderful for people who want and need quiet time in their lives.
So, there you have it. If you wondered if jigsaw puzzles were just a passive way to spend time-we know now that there are many benefits to this timeless activity. And maybe, just maybe something can be fun without having added benefits-just plain old-old fashioned fun.