Life is like a...jigsaw puzzle

I have realized life is like a jigsaw puzzle. We are born with all the pieces to create the end photo, and life’s journey is about putting all of them in just the right spot. If you're not careful, you may lose a few pieces along the way. If you are in a rush, you miss the enjoyment of the task of putting each piece into the right place. Or, you might try to smash a piece into place that simply doesn’t fit.

Just like no person determines your happiness, there is no person that is your ‘missing piece’. You hold all the pieces, and others simply help you place some of those to form the correct picture. Others may assist in your happiness, or add to it, but you are the only person who determines it. Take full responsibility for it. The right people will help create the picture, and the wrong people will sit at your puzzle for a short amount of time before giving up.  

You can learn something from each piece you attempt to place. Your eye learns color shades and key things to look for on each shape, much like encountering people and opportunities and learning from those experiences. If you can focus on what you learn and what you can do next, rather than dwell on what went wrong, you can set a challenging piece aside, refocus, and continue on your path. That piece can always be placed at a later date. The fact is that you attempted something wholeheartedly, you tried, and you can celebrate your efforts.

Many people get extremely frustrated by puzzles, much like many people become frustrated in life. They lose sight of the end picture. Sometimes, the puzzle has a way of spilling off the table. This can be from carelessness or neglect, either on your own part, or someone else’s. Pieces you thought were in place suddenly wiggle loose. You are left to pick up the pieces, place them back in the box, jumble it up, and start over.

Those who are careful pull all of the edge pieces out to establish the framework – they set themselves on the safe path with the most stability. Some people are more carefree and just start putting any two pieces together that they can match up. The beautiful thing is, there is no one right way. Each time you set out, you run the risk that the puzzle may fall again. Once you learn this, you grow more and more comfortable with takings risks. Each time your puzzle jumbles, you learn how to carefully pull all the pieces back together – you at least hold all of the pieces to become whole again, even if you come across a hard time and cannot fit any one piece that particular day.

Each and every person has their own puzzle to put together - we all must learn to operate in the present. The past is history or already placed, and the finished product means you have reached the end. We can help place pieces in each other’s puzzles, but just as we each have our own journey in life, we each hold our own pieces. You determine where each piece fits. Smile when someone helps place a correct piece. Be thankful when you can pull an incorrectly placed piece – it means someone was not correctly placed in your life. They most certainly taught you something, and will either exit your life, or simply step back and continue placing pieces until they do fit.

While I spent the past couple of days picking back up my pieces after a rough weekend, I am now in slightly better spirits. I smiled knowing I knew how to pick up all the pieces after being knocked down. My puzzle might be starting over again, but I know that I will figure out how to best place the pieces. I know that all of the pieces are there. I know that I need to refocus on myself and what fulfills me.

While I zoned out at work today listening to Pandora, Jack Johnson 'Breakdown' came on. I had heard this song a number of times, but I actually listened to the words today. It speaks to people being caught up in moving so fast, and how he wishes his train would breakdown so that he could explore, meet people, and enjoy the journey.

I decided that rather than racing to put the pieces back into place, I will take this experience as my train breaking down. It is reminding me to slow down, do some exploring, and listen to my inner voice. When you can overcome issues, it makes life feel meaningful. My broken down train is reminding me to be joyful in my journey – besides when every piece is placed and the big picture is revealed, it means that it is over…

Guilty, but content.

“Let go of your obsession with yesterday’s struggles and tomorrow’s to-do list, and simply enjoy the beauty of what’s right here, right now.”  –Marcandangel.com

Guilty. I am so, so guilty. While we all have big things happen and major changes take place in our lives, each situation is slightly different. Rather than dwell angrily on mine, I have found that I use my past sadness as fuel for my future. It humbles me and reminds me to make choices that make me happy – a reminder to not let things become the way that they were.

I am a chatter - I love to chat and share my experiences and thoughts. I believe that because there is so much miscommunication and lack of understanding in this world, the way to attempt to remedy that and build compassion and understanding is through chatting and communication. What better way to understand someone, than to listen to their story? What better way to have someone open their heart to you, than to share your story? If you are truly listening, and truly sharing with an open heart and mind, I find it impossible not to have compassion for people, whether you agree with their choices and opinions, or not. We are all on our own journey, and there is no one right direction.

While on my journey to happiness, I have found that I have been an information over-sharer. I realize now that I was doing this as a coping mechanism for my embarrassment. I over explained my story to anyone who asked as a way to ‘make them understand’ my ‘failure’. To justify it. What I have found, however, is I was justifying it for myself. My chatting + information over-sharing = more than most people care or need to know. But, looking back, the people who truly love and support me, just listened, as they knew that is what I needed to find healing. Eventually I came to the realization that I had nothing to be embarrassed about, and in fact, I have every reason to love myself. My chatting turned out to be exactly what healed.

The great thing about being guilty is that so long as you can admit it yourself first, then you have stepped forward, proclaimed ‘I AM HUMAN’ and can work towards correcting the fault. Guilt is wonderful for just that – those who listen to their inner guilt discover beautiful moments of self-discovery. They realize how they are acting is who they are perceived to be, and the guilt points them in the direction of who they want to be. Those who can acknowledge it and fix it, I believe, have figured out the key to life.

So here is my proclamation:

I am guilty of obsessing over my “yesterday’s struggles”, and I am always most certainly guilty of obsessing over my always long to-do list. –Kylee 12/6/12

My focus now is to live more ‘in the moment’. While I may be guilty of obsessing over yesterday’s struggles, I realize that chatting about it has become habit, and no longer brings the healing it once did. I have found closure, I have moved on, and I am ready to start new habits. To not always have to think about the past and compare it to the present. While I appreciate the past for what it has taught me today, I want to be better focused on the “right now” and having a positive outlook on “what if’s” for the future. That goal is twofold, in that I also don’t want to focus and stress over the future. I want to be driven and motivated to reach goals, but it is absolutely acceptable to be content in not knowing what the future holds. With a positive attitude and knowing that “everything will be alright”, good things are bound to happen.

So tonight, I sit at my beautiful new computer desk, helping my mom finish our yearly Christmas letter, appreciating the fact that I have my own little corner in this world to work on creative graphic projects. A sweet photo of my hugging nieces to my left, a framed version of a favorite saying to my right, and across the living room, a crooked tree that I put up in an attempt to get into the Christmas spirit. I am smiling at the twinkling lights, but mostly at its slight slant. It is the imperfection of this slant (that normally my O.C.D. would need to correct right away) that reminds me that this world will never be perfect, and that is okay.

In my freshly cleaned condo, sitting at my desk working on a creative project, a movie playing, and the sparkly tree lights glowing, I am completely content – and happy, and enjoying this very moment.