Ever since LM3 was young, she has loved doing puzzles. She has said on more than one occasion, “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a puzzler.”
This is so interesting to me. I love that she can sit for long periods of time, working out the puzzle pieces, especially since I NEVER did jigsaw puzzles as a kid, mostly because I have no patience.
LM3 doesn’t even care much about the images. She enjoys matching the colors and shapes. Puzzling is something we do together some afternoons. I’m very conscious of the fact that this is our last year for such things, since next year is kindergarten and she’ll likely arrive home on the bus each day, closer to 4 p.m.
When her 5th birthday arrived this year, LM3 received a number of puzzles to satisfy her incredible craving. She needs 200-400 piece puzzles now, which I think is remarkable, but doesn’t seem to phase her much.
One of the puzzles she received features a beautiful watercolor scene of a little harbor, possibly in Maine or something like that. The puzzle is full of color and variety, making it trickier than some others, but all the more delicious.
The other day after we finished lunch, LM3 asked if we could do a puzzle.
“Sure,” I said. “Which one?”
“Oh, I want to do the boat one. Look at this, Mom!”
She ran to our shelf for the puzzle and shouted at me from across the room (I was in the kitchen, tidying up lunch).
“We can do this puzzle and it will be very peaceful, just like this place in my puzzle. If I were in my puzzle, I would sit right here on this hill, and look at the boats and wave at the clouds and listen for the boats. It’s this nice? I think we should go here one day.”
It was the most remarkable thing to hear that I started to cry. Her desire for a peaceful afternoon, without the glitz, glam, or high speed of our normal life stopped me in my tracks. She envisioned living in this cartoon world, enjoying the scene and loving the moment of being present.
I wish I were more like her, sometimes. Her ability to articulate herself so beautifully and to appreciate something so simple and yet profound was my miracle for the day. It brought an incredible peace on my heart. And I continue to feel gratitude.
What brought you peace this week? Share the peace!
4 the Love of Peace 