One of my fond childhood memories is working on jigsaw puzzles. We’d set up the card table in the living room, and work on the puzzle whenever we had a chance. As the puzzle got close to completion, my sisters and I were in the habit of taking and hiding one of the pieces, because we each wanted to be the one to put in the last piece. I don’t remember what negotiations were involved in bringing out the missing pieces, but we always got the puzzle completed eventually.

I still do jigsaw puzzles every once in a while, but not very often. I’m just too busy with other things, and it feels like the time I spend working on a puzzle is time that would be better spent on other activities.

I’m starting to rethink that, though. A friend of mine recently lent me three puzzles she had just finished. “They’re challenging, but doable,” she said, and she was right. They’re also addictive. And as I worked on them, I realized something else: they’re extremely therapeutic.

There’s no timetable or deadline hanging over my head when I’m putting together a jigsaw puzzle. And I feel a subtle sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as I finish each section. Most important, though, is that as I’m working, my mind is free to wander wherever it cares to go. I can daydream, make plans, or just enjoy a few quiet minutes before going to bed. Putting the pieces together puts me in a calm, relaxed state, which is always a healthy and productive place to be.

A friend of mine recently told me that since she retired – and especially in the past few years as we’ve all been living through the pandemic – she sometimes feels off-center and out of sorts, for no real reason she can put her finger on. But at some point, it dawned on her that when she was still working and had a long drive to and from her job, that time spent in her car was her “me time” when she could dream and plan – for the day and beyond. She kept her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road, of course, but her time in the car did for her what working on a jigsaw puzzle did for me. And it emphasized how important it is for us to build some “me time” into our day.

Maybe I’ll suggest that she start doing jigsaw puzzles. And I think I’ll start doing them again on a more regular basis. I’ll probably stay away from gimmicky ones, and puzzles of monsters, zombies, or other creatures or scenes that would give me nightmares instead of sweet dreams if I work on them before going to bed. “Challenging, but doable” will be my guide.

Which, come to think of it, is a good goal to aim for – not just with jigsaw puzzles, but with anything else in life I choose to do.

January 31, 2022
©Betty Liedtke, 2022

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