Clouds

As stated in my last article, I am now addressing puzzling human behavior separately from jigsaw puzzle assembly.

Today, I’m addressing the aggravation of assembling jigsaw puzzles.

Why? 

Why would I allow myself to get frustrated when the puzzle in progress becomes a challenge for me?

Let’s go back to the original premise of this blog. Jigsaw puzzles are a metaphor for life itself. 

Usually, you reach an impasse on each puzzle just as yousurely will in life. 

But you’re only choice is to knuckle

(digression alert! What’s that letter K doing in “knuckle”? the “G” in gnome? the B in limb?. When are we going to synchronize phonetics and spelling? Is the discord between the two a deliberate effort by educators to let grade school kids know who’s in charge? “Don’t ask why. Spell it like you’ve been told.)

down, examine your strategy, and work through it. 

For the last 2 days, Joan and I have been stuck on the sky.

That is to say we are struggling with cloud formations and colors. 

Take cloud formations, please.  

We are right in the middle of assembling a scene of coastal Maine. Progress has been torturously slow due to the large portion of sky in the puzzle. 

Since this obsession with puzzles began, I no longer see clouds. I see puzzles.

Cirrus, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus rain clouds. All equallyaggravating.

Colors migrate without demarcation from pure white to dark gray and on to azure.

To add to the challenge, Springbok, the maker of the puzzle shown in the photo, takes pride in making every puzzle piece unique.  

I call it evil.

Here’s where I have to remember 

I played golf for 20 years. 

I shouldn’t have done that.

Golf is expensive.

On those occasions when I counted all of my strokes, I rarely broke 100.

My personal contribution to the sport of golf was giving it up.

I’m not bragging, but I’m wiser now. 

I won’t be quitting.

We are upgrading from 1000-piece puzzles to 1500 with our next purchase and looking forward to the challenge.