It’s been many years since I did a jigsaw puzzle. When Little Miss Twelve bought herself a jigsaw of Elvis (yes, she’s crazy about Elvis) a few weeks ago, it brought back memories of when everyone in my family used to enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles. The bigger and more complicated the better!

As if by fate, in the same week we were rummaging around in a charity shop (for Elvis memorabilia) and we came across a jigsaw mat. It was only €3; I couldn’t pass it!

I decided I’d wait until Christmas to buy a jigsaw, but I saw this one yesterday in Toymaster and I couldn’t resit it. You can guess why.

Looking at a thousand pieces spread out in front of me reminded me of the quote; Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to see the whole picture, then put it together piece by piece. –Terry McMillan

I thought it fitting to link it to Marsha’s (from alwayswrite.blog) WQ#31 prompt; chaos/disorder/disarray/messy.

We spend a lot more time trying to put the pieces of our lives together than we spend putting the pieces of a jigsaw together. Or do we?

When we are children, our puzzles are easy with very few pieces. We need help starting off (like life) and as we learn how the the puzzles work, they get bigger and more complicated. Life!

Sometimes we feel like giving up, because it’s not as easy as we thought it was. Other times the challenge makes us more determined to keep going.

Some people need to see a picture of the puzzle in order to see exactly where they’re going. Others prefer to go in blind and see where it takes them – they thrive on the unknown, they like surprises.

When we force a piece into the wrong place because we think it fits, it upsets the whole picture. Then when we find the right piece, we remove the imposter and slot in Mr Right.

We all have our own way of putting the puzzle together. One might delve into it without giving it much thought; hope for the best. They find it difficult to concentrate because there’s other things going on around them. Too much chaos for the mind to focus.

Then you have the man with the plan. The multi-tasking woman. They have a strategy. They’re organised. The chaos isn’t a problem because either they don’t notice it or they just deal with it!

We adore chaos because we love to produce order – M.C. Escher

Some people get bored with their jigsaw puzzle and throw it to one side to get a new one. Something completely different this time. How about something more colourful, more intriguing, less complicated? More complicated? Life!

Others are so pleased with the picture they’ve created that they glue the pieces together and protect them behind a glass frame. Some might even put it on display because they’re so proud of their achievement! They make sure nothing or no one takes it from them.

Not everyone gets to finish the puzzle. Perhaps they never got the chance to learn how to do it in the first place. Maybe they had no one to help them put the pieces together, tidy up the mess. Maybe all the pieces were never there in the first place, or perhaps they lost a piece and never found it!

Then again, maybe they never intended to complete it in the first place!

Sometimes we just run out of time!

What’s your favourite quote about messiness and disorder? Visit Marsha HERE and join in with the fun!