Taking advantage of a brief respite from the computer work (for which I am truly thankful, both ways) to do a jigsaw puzzle. I haven't done one for nearly a year and at the first sign of winter, my thoughts turn in this direction. It is the greatest form of relaxation for me, as my eyes just scan the box of pieces for the right colour or shape without giving it any thought. I try to never do a puzzle under 1000 pieces, as there is no challenge in that, and the average size is 1500 because it's easily accessible even when bending over.
I've been obsessed with puzzles since a very early age, I think under a year old, or maybe two, and cannot abide having someone come along and put in a piece for me. However, when it's someone else's puzzle, I cannot resist it! I have been to visit aged relatives at two old age homes in the past where there has been a work in progress on a table in the communal area and I have never left without completing a fair amount, no doubt to the dismay of someone who was looking forward to finishing the parrot, or whatever!
An advantage of this intense absence of using your mind is that the answers to all sorts of problems are able to come through from out there and I find I can think of ways to achieve various goals and do rough drafts of letters while still putting in the pieces. Easier than meditation, which just makes the dog bark at me!
I can thoroughly recommend puzzles as a therapeutic outlet, rather than watching TV, which just deadens the brain. However, a word of warning - when selecting a puzzle, make sure it is varied and has very distinct outlines and not too large a patch of darkness, otherwise you are setting yourself up for unnecessary frustration - there is no point in labouring for hours to complete a patch of shade under a tree when you could be completing a very satisfactory harbour scene!
No comments:
Post a Comment