The holidays may be over, but the fun isn’t! Now is the time to relax, have fun and keep your mind sharp. Join in celebrating this year’s National Puzzle Day on January 29th and you’ll be the winner!
The joy of puzzles is that the fun doesn’t last just one day though – it shows up every single time you play. And the party is open to all kinds of puzzles: jigsaw, word searches, crosswords, sudoku and more.
The practice of this meditative yet challenging activity has been helping humans enjoy moments, manage anxiety, sharpen cognitive skills, and strengthen social bonds, for millennia.
A fascinating fact about puzzles is that they have been around since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. They took an interesting form over 3,000 years ago in China where they were not only a game but actually practical pieces of pottery. They were called “bottom-fill vessels” and were basically teapots that were filled from the bottom. To get an actual cup of tea out of them, they had to be filled just right; too much water and it all spilled out. Too little water and you wouldn’t be able to pour yourself a drink.
Since then, puzzles have evolved into as many types and forms as the human mind could imagine. Even today puzzle making and solving continues to be everlastingly creative.
There is one puzzle, however, that we are constantly working on day in and day out, whether we are aware of it or not. It’s the greatest puzzle of all: yourself. If you ask any these questions, it’s a clue that you are trying to put your personal puzzle pieces into place: Why did this happen to me?
What am I supposed to do now?
What am I doing here?
How can I be happy?
And no fear – finding the answers to these questions and discovering the heart of who you are is possible! It’s true it can be painful at times, but it can also be very joyful. There are countless books, coaches, therapists, groups and more, that can help you on your way to self-discovery. Often the guidance or mentor for what you need most at that time will show up for you. In the meantime:
Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself a lot of grace and do at least one good thing a day for yourself.
Recognize that whatever is going on is a transition and will change.
To help the transition move in the right direction look for and cherish the positive. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture, a hopeful thought. Look for and focus on those positive things.
And always know, that when life seems in pieces, those pieces can come together in a variety of ways to create the beautiful being of light and love that you truly are!
With love and support,
Cristina
