Over the years I have enjoyed completing jigsaw puzzles, there was a time when I would tackle a 1000 piece on a drawing board and would sit there patiently over several days working on my challenge.
Unlike a lot of people who will start with assembling the edge pieces first, my style was to pick out the pieces for the major features like the sky or the sea, or distinctive buildings. The busier I got, I shifted onto 500 piece puzzles that I could assemble in a couple of hours. I have the sort of mind that means that I can normally complete puzzles quite quickly and to be honest I am nowhere near patient enough to spend days working on something like this.
On a visit to Sandringham house in Norfolk a few years ago I learned that the late Queen always had a jigsaw puzzle on the go and would add a few pieces each time she walked past the table in her somewhat expansive rooms.
Today, I am nowhere near patient enough to sit down and build a traditional puzzle and for some reason the manufacturers seem to like producing increasingly difficult puzzles which I find stressful rather than relaxing. About ten years ago I found digital jigsaw puzzles that I can do on line, they have been a revelation to me, I can sit and without having to put too much thought in, I can assemble them. Best of all, there is a facility where I can select one of my own photographs and as if by magic it can become a puzzle and that adds a whole new dimension.
In my life of leading groups of people, I have often thought that the successful team is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece is a unique shape and image and most importantly every piece has its place and, as we all know, one of the most irritating things is when we have almost finished and find a piece missing. A successful team is made up of people, each bringing their own individual gifts and graces and each person is of value whatever they have to bring. Most importantly, if just one piece is missing, the picture isn’t complete.
What does your piece of the jigsaw look like?