I tried to peel the pieces off of my Rubik’s cube to satisfy my need of having it “solved”. Even at the expense of missing the experience, I thought that just having it finished would generate the same feeling of satisfaction.
I don’t usually work puzzles. I am not very good at them and I have little patience. I like the feeling of finishing them but I do not like the in-between that comes after “start” and before “finished”.
The problem with my way of thinking is that the beauty lies within the working of the puzzle; the knowledge comes in the form of mistakes, miscues, and failures while piecing it all together.
Most puzzles have a defined place where you know that you have it “solved” but it is still incomplete. I like this place. I don’t think that life is meant to be solved and I am not sure that it will ever be complete. I don’t believe that the day will come when I have twisted the last remaining block into place or stuck the remaining corner-piece into the jigsaw puzzle. I believe that life is supposed to be worked, pondered upon, put together, taken apart, misplaced, turned upside down, re-done, and all the while appreciated for its intricacies and level of difficulty.
To think that I can solve this life’s puzzles is a reach, and to even strive for the day of having it all figured out it is unrealistic. I think appreciating that there is a puzzle to work with many different pieces and lots of tiny detail is a tribute to how someone is living their life. An easy puzzle with only a few pieces is a pacifier that helps me pass the time but doesn’t give me the benefit of opportunity. An easy puzzle limits my experience.
I need to appreciate the difficulties in my life and remember that the business, the stress, the complexities, and the shortness of time are all due to an excess of blessings involving family, friends, passions, and an opportunity to make a living in a world that has provided me a life of abundance, but yet I complain that I don’t have enough.
My puzzle is supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be messy. It’s supposed to need re-working and re-arranged. The beauty is in the pieces and of those I have plenty.
Enjoy your day.
Appreciate your puzzle.
Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,
Beefcake