Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Puzzles - Jigsaws

By Charlie Reese

I have always loved jigsaw puzzles. You see, I grew up in a pretty hectic family. We were all extremely busy people most of the time. Both of my parents were very driven, and they wanted us to be driven to succeed as well. As such, we had a hectic schedules 6 days a week.

On Sunday, as they say, we rested. That was my chance to do jigsaw puzzles, read a book, watch the tv, and otherwise relax. I loved doing a jigsaw picture puzzle on Sunday. I would be able to sit there all day, calmly picking out piece after piece, and not worrying about anything. It was my way to rest, relax, and recharge. There was really nothing like it in the world.

There is a lot that goes into jigsaw puzzles. They are not just about putting together a bunch of pieces. You have to pick out the right jigsaw puzzle or else it will not be as much fun. I always liked puzzles that depict fantastic, faraway lands. They could be real or fictitious. Either they show photos of Hawaii, or perhaps fantasy kingdoms with dragons. I don't care, as long as the jigsaws promise escape. That, after all, is the reason that I go in to them in the first place. To escape from the routines of daily life.

There are also online jigsaw puzzles that I do now and them. They can be fun for killing a few minutes. For me, however, they don't capture the full jigsaw puzzle feel. The whole point is to be able to relax in your own room, enjoying each puzzle piece. When I'm at work and stressed out, however, they are a good way to take the edge off a little bit.

My favorite jigsaw puzzles of all are the 3-D puzzles. They are set up to look like castles, monuments, space-age buildings, and other creations. Basically, they are simply several jigsaw puzzles that join at the edges. You build walls of jigsaw pieces, and then you attach those walls together. They fit together neatly, so there is no need to worry. When you are done, you have a full model of something or other. I have several of them displayed in my room, and recently have had to give away a few. After all, things were getting too crowded. Even the most prized collections need to be cleared out every once in a while, or else you simply run out of room. - 16651

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