Something I enjoy but seldom have the table space for is working a jigsaw puzzle. “Working” is not an exaggeration. It takes focus, stick-to-it-ivness and a subtle Sherlock Holmes vibe. It also takes hours of time with no lasting result but hey, I digress…

When I was a kid, Mom frequently had a puzzle in progress on a card table in our living room. Our house was like Coffee Central, so random family members and neighbors stopped by on a daily basis. They’d sit at the kitchen table and chat, and eventually notice the puzzle in the other room. No matter who it was, or how they scoffed at such things, everyone would eventually wander over to the makeshift puzzle station. It was not unusual to hear my big burly cousin Jim yell out, “Hey Anne! I got that sky piece you couldn’t find! It was mostly green leaves!” Or alternately, Mom would chastise “Stop trying to force it! I doesn’t belong there!” regarding a piece of scenery that really, really, really seems like it should be in ‘that’ part of the picture. “Leave it alone for now and start somewhere else.”

The crowning achievement – almost ceremonial in nature – was clicking that last piece into place. WHAT a rush of satisfaction and accomplishment! That, however, was followed by the inevitable “now what?” We’d leave it out for a few days, admiring our observational and deductive skills until finally – it would be disassembled and returned to the box and banished to the back of the closet. I don’t think we ever did a puzzle more than once. Not sure where they eventually went. Maybe there’s a Jigsaw Purgatory, for spent puzzles.

Why am I writing about this, so many years later? Because right now, my life feels like a jigsaw puzzle. I have all these colorful, fascinating pieces in front of me, but I can’t seem to find the box with the photo of the finished puzzle. I’ve managed to fit a number of sections together (some quite nicely!) but others are a cause for consternation. There’s a very cool piece with all my favorite colors that I want to fit over there, but I can’t tell just yet if it does. And those pieces down there are all jammed up and need to be spaced out better.

But that’s cool. I think I finally have enough experience with puzzles to just relax and enjoy each intriguing piece in front of me. I know they’ll all fit together in good time.