Friday 15 December 2017

December 15, 2017 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   Years ago, we acquired a second-hand 4,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of a castle in Scotland.

    For years it sat on a shelf in the basement, and my Dad was always going to put it together, but we didn’t have a table or board big enough as the box said the puzzle was 57 x 38 inches.

   Then Dad passed away in 2003, and still the puzzle sat on the shelf. 

   Numerous other (smaller) puzzles were completed over the years, yet that 4,000 piece one never moved.

   Finally I decided it was time to do something with it.  On January 13th of this year, my niece and I took it off the shelf.  After measuring every possible surface, we started putting the puzzle together right on the floor in a corner of the living room.

   In the beginning, I had a bit of assistance from my sister and niece, but I completed the bulk of the puzzle myself.  All in all, it took me just over two and half months, but with my health challenges this year, that was actually stretched over ten months, and the final piece was put in on November 12th (photo, below).

   Many people stopping at our house would comment on the progress (or lack thereof) and say that they couldn’t do something like that because they didn’t have the patience.

   Yet, it isn’t really “patience” per se that is required.  Like any task in this world, it is love and enjoyment of the task that keeps a person going, and whether you are a “journey” or a “destination” person.  I really enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles so the task was not daunting - in the sense of impossible - as I knew I WOULD finish it, and it is the challenge of the puzzle, not the completed puzzle that I get the most enjoyment from.

   The puzzle has now been taken apart and boxed up again so it can be passed onto someone else for them to enjoy.


    This is also a good time of year to remember that the Christmas season is a journey to enjoy, not a destination to reach and check off a list.  We wonder why life is going by so fast, could it be because we rush through our holidays and milestones in order to reach the next one?

Beth


Contact The Chautauqua vai email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua