Puzzles
As I was sitting on a plane, daydreaming, the thought of puzzles popped into my head. Not just of the jigsaw variety but really any challenge we face and find, well... puzzling.
Growing up math was like that, but not in the “I’ll-never-understand-this” type of way. It was more in the “I-am-so-excited-to-do-this-math-test” kind of way. I know... weird. I believe my early love for math came in the form of how neatly math always appeared to have an answer.
5 times 4 equals 20
6 divided by 2 equals 3...
... so satisfying.
But then come decimals and negative numbers and then the joys of calculus integrals and statistical anomalies. And suddenly the puzzle becomes hard and on the surface, maybe not so satisfying. Until a theory is applied or a slightly different point of view is taken on... suddenly a jagged jigsaw piece feels like pure magic when placed in the right spot.
Fast forward a couple of decades and I’ve taken in that same joy when it comes to writing. I become enveloped with a sense of deep satisfaction when something I dream up absolutely puzzles me to the point that I have to explore it through the written word.
Writing, unlike math, did not always come easy to me. It felt labored and clinical. It felt rigid and insincere. But then I looked at the front of my 1,000 piece puzzle box and I saw the bigger picture. Gone are the days of the 5-paragraph essay in my life as a writer. It is time to say hello to the murky depths of exploring the not-so neat and tidy world of the written word.
Maybe it’s the fact that with age comes more responsibility and the grayness of life lurks its way into what we expected to be an eternal black and white landscape. Or maybe it’s the fear of not saying something just right that excites me - as the days of paralyzing self-criticism and anxiety are firmly in my past.
Or… maybe it’s all of that.
Maybe it’s the wisdom experience brings as you hold a whole bunch of puzzle pieces in your hand and wonder, “what in the hell do I do with all of this?” And to that, I say there is a reason we don’t complete a puzzle in a day. There’s a reason why projects are paused. Hell, I started this blog post over a week ago while I was on a plane and am only now finishing it. Inspiration comes in waves. It is important, especially as a creative person, to recognize those low and high tides and to capitalize on the crest whenever the opportunity is presented.
Because sometimes the completed edges and miscellaneous puzzle pieces need to just sit next to each other on the table for a bit while we gain some other life experience to be inspired again to play.
