About Me

My photo
I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

Translator!

Friday, April 1, 2016

The Jigsaw Philosphy

I've always loved puzzles.  From the little plastic thingies with the little silver balls to get into the slots to the daily crossword puzzles in the paper.  I suppose that my favorite puzzles involve language and vocabulary, but I must admit there is no challenge to me like a 1000-piece jigsaw.

Some time ago I 'subscribed' to Jigsaw World on Facebook.  One can choose to buy puzzles, but I have never done that, opting for trading in my accrued points for more puzzles.  There are frequent competitions on this site and the winners are those who have finished the featured puzzle the fastest.  I am far from being a winner -- and am not in the competition to do so.  I just love doing the puzzles.  (I also think some of these folks are cheating, but cannot for the life of me determine how).  My friend Sharron and I usually take about three times as long as the 'winners' to complete the puzzles.  She thinks they're cheating, too.

Competitions aside, there are a few things I've learned from jigsaws - some more obvious than others:

1.  I have great success when I pay close attention to the little details like color variation and pattern.

2.  Patience is REALLY important -- not usually my strong suit, and sometimes trial and error is the only way to success.

3.  The more pieces in place; the more understanding of the big picture.

3.  And most importantly -- as in life, a piece may seem to be perfect -- the correct color or shape, but if it doesn't fit -- move on.  I can try to 'pound it in', but do so in vain.


2 comments:

Linda Reeder said...

There are life lessons in many forms. Life is a puzzle.

Kay said...

Life can certainly be a puzzle and I always have trouble figuring out both.