Most days, this is where you will find me. Waiting in line. Drop off line, pick up line, in front of a house, or across from a gym. It used to irk me to no end, all this time spent sitting in my car, parked by a curb. But humans are amazingly adaptable creatures. Rather than rail against my fate, I decided to embrace it. I have a book stashed in my driver door (Hyperion by Dan Simmons). Snack are located in the center console (dried nut mix from Costco). Make up bag is on hand to pimp myself out if I ran out of the house in a blind panic because I lost track of time (lets be honest, this is most days for me). And a small sketch book and pen set if I’m near something sketch worthy. Add to that a few podcasts pre-downloaded and ready to enjoy (Hello From the Magic Tavern), and what was initially mind numbing boredom becomes wonderful relaxation. Open the sunroof, lower the windows and enjoy holding still for a moment. Sometimes, waiting can be lovely too.
Monthly Archives: July 2017
Puzzle Love Anyone?
Confession time. I love puzzles. Love ’em. When I was a kid, we used to go visit my Grandparents who lived in a retirement community in Sun City, Arizona. Now, if you are a kid in a retirement area, it can be a bit slow. Luckily, my grandparents had two things going for them. One, a community pool. And two, a library that rented out puzzles. Every visit, my grandmother would go and get a puzzle for us. I remember pouring over the pieces on her dining room table waiting out the hot Arizona afternoon. I think that’s when my puzzle love began in earnest.
You open the box and are faced with a jamble of pieces, colors and shapes. It all seems impossible but every child knows that the trick is to start small. Find the corners. Pick out the edge pieces. Once that frame is assembled you have a toe hold on the beast and suddenly the impossible seems within reach.
There are different techniques after the beginning frame out is over. You can sort by color or unique image. From there expand into grouping by shape. And the satisfaction of finding that one last piece to complete a section! Ummmmm. Makes me tingly happy just thinking about it.
So every summer I pick a new puzzle and set it out. Most days it is just me fingering the cardboard shapes but every once in a while Kevin or the girls will join me for a bit. It’s so easy to talk over a puzzle. But it’s equally acceptable to sit in silence and slowly sift through the pieces or study the box art.
Oddly enough, I don’t like to do a puzzle more than once. Instead, I grab my ModPodge and glue the finished piece together and hang it up. A reminder that no matter how broken something is, if you frame it carefully and work on it bit by bit, you can make it whole again.