Very early on in my recovery, Kevin bought me some puzzles. At the time the thought process was to go for 100-200 pieces because that’s what I could handle. Down the road when I progressed we could pass them on to his young nieces.
During 2020 when I was in day rehabilitation I placed a lot of weight on being able to multitask which included listening to a book while doing a puzzle. I was frustrated at myself that I could only listen to a podcast (I’d miss too much detail with a novel) and I would get discouraged when I’d want to work on a puzzle but only get a little bit done.
Thanks to Covid I’ve had a lot of down time. I pulled out those “simpler” puzzles and was pleasantly surprised; I was having so much fun!
I stopped viewing 100-200 pieces as solely for kids. I have major mobility issues and cannot shift to work from a different angle. I also have decreased dexterity; a larger puzzle meant spending most of the time sorting tiny pieces.
And two years later I got over my false thought that multitasking equaled a novel. I’ve assessed the amount of focus and revised my approach as to what I can listen to; a podcast, memoir or nonfiction are best.
Now that I’ve found my sweet spot I really find joy in working on a puzzle.
