To puzzle or not to puzzle - that is the question!

Hello everyone! It's been approximately a month since my last blog and it's great to be back!

I couldn't have picked a better day than National Puzzle Day to kick off 2025! Some of you may be thinking - "what's so special about that?" Well, for me National Puzzle Day is so much more than dumping a bunch of pieces on a table and mindlessly looking for two to go together.

In fact, when I saw this on the calendar it immediately brought back special memories—ones that go beyond just a bunch of cardboard pieces. As a young boy (age 5), puzzles meant walking down the street in snow boots and a t-shirt to visit our neighbors (two elderly women that sat in their garage just about every day in silence putting puzzles together) who would give me a glass of 7Up and a couple sugar cubes, in my teen years it meant spending time with my Grandma, and as a young adult it was way to decompress from the work week with my wife, DiAnna.

Puzzles have been part of my life, not necessarily because they are one of my favorite hobbies, but because it meant spending time with others and building relationships.

That leads me to one of my favorite memories that happened just this past year. I remember getting a text from Grace (our 2nd oldest) that said - "you guys free on Wednesday(?)" and then "they're (local bar) having their next puzzle competition". Long story short, Grace signed us up to for a puzzle-making contest.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that saying yes meant stepping into her world, embracing something she loved, and creating a shared experience that would stay with us both. For those wondering, we didn’t win the contest, but that didn’t matter (for those that know Grace & I - that may not be entirely true 😂).

All kidding aside, what mattered was the time we spent together, the inside jokes we created, and the bond that grew even stronger.

Okay, okay, enough about the past, what's your point? Well, you see that is sort of the point. Puzzles are a metaphor for life. As I reflect on that day and the times I've spent with others putting them together, we may not always see the full picture right away, but with patience and perseverance, everything starts to make sense.

Each piece, no matter how small or oddly shaped, had a place. Some pieces were easy to fit, others required patience, trial and error, and sometimes even a new perspective. And just like in life, the most satisfying moments came when everything started to come together.

That puzzle contest taught me something invaluable—not just about perseverance or problem-solving, but about the importance of embracing the interests of others, especially our children. It’s easy to stay in our routines, let busyness be an excuse, but the real magic happens when we engage in what matters to those we love.

So, on this National Puzzle Day, I encourage you to step outside of your own routine and embrace the passions of the people around you. More importantly, when your child, sibling, or loved one invites you to be part of their world—whether it's a puzzle contest, a new hobby, or an adventure that feels unfamiliar—say yes. Because the most important piece of the puzzle is the time spent together.

PS Have 30 seconds? Check out the puzzle making time-lapse below...

Puzzle.zip

Download ZIP • 81.55MB