Hey, I feel like I’ve accomplished something! Maybe you do, too! That’s about as many exclamation points as you are ever going to get from me. So, trust that I’m feeling pretty good. The first challenge was definitely challenging but also kind of inspiring. Bear with me. We have 99 challenges to go and they aren’t all going to make you feel as good about yourself. Ready for the next challenge? COMPLETE A PUZZLE…WITH 500 PIECES OR MORE. Full disclosure: I’m not a puzzle person. I don’t dislike them, I’ve just never really been particularly drawn to do them. Games? yes. Puzzles? not so much. But this isn’t like eating a burger with mustard on it…this I can do.
In case you aren’t aware, January is National Puzzle Month. Don’t feel bad, I didn’t know that either until the sign at Barnes & Noble told me. All three of my kids like to do puzzles and I’m pretty sure my sister, Laurie, likes to do puzzles (or at least she used to). But, I think part of my problem with puzzles is that they feel a little pointless to me. What do you do with them when you are done? I certainly don’t want to break up a 500-piece puzzle immediately after completing it. And, I also don’t have the wall space to glue then frame it or the desire, quite frankly, to do that either. I’m also afraid that I might not have the patience. That being said, there are a lot of very appealing looking puzzles out there. It took me a bit of time to choose, eventually deciding on a 500-piece beauty depicting classic travel posters.
I realized after I started to write this that the puzzle could actually have been more than 500 pieces but I will acknowledge here that I’m not much of an overachiever. Five hundred pieces satisfies the challenge so that’s good enough for me. If you are joining in, feel free to go for it. Seven-hundred and fifty! One-thousand! I won’t judge, I just won’t be helping. Or take advantage of the buy one, get one half price deal that Barnes & Noble is running this month and do them both!
I feel, at this point, that I should offer an apology, only four blog posts in and I’ve already name-dropped Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, Target, Panera and now Barnes & Noble. If only they were my sponsors and I was getting paid for all this product placement. As you can tell by now, I am actually sponsoring them.
Do you like to do puzzles? If so, may I ask, why? Heck, maybe by the time I check in later this week I’ll have discovered I like them, too! Got any insider tips or hints for me? Just not the old starting-with-the-edges tip…I have done a puzzle or two, you know. So, clear your card table, choose your puzzle, and dig in. Or, at least cheer me on!
Before you go… if you read closely you will have realized that I used more than two exclamation points. I’m a bit embarrassed by that for some reason. I’ll save you the trouble of counting them. I used eight…counting this one!
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Before You Grow Up 
Val, you are hilarious- Your challenge will test my patience and finish what you start defect; loads of grand plans but somehow that finish line ends up a mirage. Plus, I haven’t done a puzzle in Oh…20 years. Unless you count Barbie puzzles with my kids. It’s only Jan. 9th and I’ve already started my “eat healthy” lifestyle…well about 9 times. Val, this is a good challenge. See ya at the finish line!
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Good luck!
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I have always loved to do puzzles. When I was a child we had this Wizsrd of Oz puzzle that my aunt,sister, and brother would put together over and over again. Later on my now husband and I would spend date night with his mother putting together all sorts of puzzles. It is not only the challenge of finding the right pice, but also the fun of togetherness. Putting a puzzle together is a different comradere than playing a game or watching a movie together. I guess my tip for you would be to do it with someone or several someone’s. The more the merrier! Good luck.
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Krystal, thank you! I love all of it!
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I like to do puzzles but rarely do; I think they are meditative, like working in the yard – your body is active but your mind can wander. When talking to prospective students who think they want to be designers, we often ask if they like to do puzzles. We’ve found that they often do; there is a definite correlation between doing puzzles and designing – they are both basically problem-solving activities.
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Interesting. That makes sense.
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