I have a hell of a lot of fun doing jigsaw puzzles, although I’m not exactly sure why. I love the idea of building the puzzle. Finding where everything goes. However, I don’t really like building other things and I don’t love to organize or clean. (I do it, but I don’t love it.).
I do love that there is an achievable end; although I’m not attached to it. My husband always thinks it’s funny that I typically take the puzzle apart almost as soon as I’ve put the last piece in…no matter how many days or weeks it took me to put it together. I take a picture and text it to my mom (another avid puzzler), and then it’s back in the box.
I love when people help me with puzzles. I grew up putting puzzles together with my mom and grandma. (Me and mom below!) Maybe I have positive associations with that. One of my favorite things is having a group of people working on a puzzle together with a few bottles of wine. Like my obsession with cooperative games (see post here), when you’re puzzling with people, you’re working together towards a common goal. Teamwork feels good to me.
Also, while puzzling takes some attention, it doesn’t take a ton. Plenty of time to sip your wine, eat homemade cookies, look up and check the score of the football game. And, it’s not word-associated attention. Therefore, it’s easy to put together a puzzle while chatting about last Thanksgiving, your upcoming vacation, your job, your life. And it’s mellow conversation. Everyone is occupied, so there is no pressure to talk and fill the silence or move on. Everyone is searching for pieces. It’s casual and lovely. And it could go on for a few hours. Together. If there’s a lot of wine, things can get down right silly.
But, if I’m alone. Puzzling is fun too. I can keep my often racing mind occupied looking for pieces while I listen to music or let my mind wander to other things with ease. Hrmm. Maybe I do know why I like it.