As I end 2025, I wanted to complete one more task, a puzzle. I purchased a few puzzles for my classroom and the students have been putting them together during indoor recess. I recently bought two new puzzles to add to our collection and realized that I needed to spend some time working on a puzzle I bought for myself during the Winter Break. I was beyond excited to get started on the puzzle, not remembering how many pieces it was. The first week of the break, I relaxed, caught up on sleep, watched some of my favorite television shows, and spent some time with my family. The second week of the break, I decided it was time to get started on the puzzle.

The first day, I was overwhelmed with how many pieces I had to sort through. While I already knew there were a lot of pieces that needed to be put together, 500 to be exact. Nothing prepared me for how long it would take to complete the puzzle. On the first day, I worked on the perimeter of the puzzle. I knew if I was able to get the perimeter completed the inside would be a piece of cake.

Day 2, I woke up determined to get started on the puzzle and was ready to spend the entire day working on it. But I needed to run a few errands before I could completely focus on the task at hand. Before I left the house, I put together a few pieces, then stopped to leave out. When I returned to the house, I made a cup of coffee and got back to putting the puzzle together. Now, I looked at the clock and realized time was moving faster than I thought. I didn’t want to work on the puzzle for too long, but I was determined to get half of it completed before I went to bed. By 9:34 p.m. I was mentally exhausted. I tried putting a few pieces together on the puzzle and realized they were not in the right place. I stopped and said to myself, “Every piece has a place; I have to make sure that the pieces fit correctly in each spot and not force them to fit where I want them to go,” words of advice for other areas of my life. 🙂 I decided it was time for a break after I completed one last row on the puzzle. A break was much needed, poor eyes.

Day 3, I woke up and decided to watch a movie before finishing the puzzle. Halfway through the movie, I was ready to finish the puzzle. I thought about what I said to myself the night before, “Every piece has a place; I have to make sure that the pieces fit correctly in each spot and not force them to fit where I want them to go.” It wasn’t long before the puzzle was finally completed. I tried to pace myself so I wouldn’t get frustrated or completely overwhelmed with the puzzle. It has been years since I worked on a puzzle on my own and I was proud of myself for dedicating the time to complete the puzzle over my Winter Break.

As I reflected on 2025, I realized that I needed to dedicate more of my time to completing tasks that fulfill me. It’s time for me to get back into activities that require me to focus on one piece at a time. No rushing, no forcing, and no immediate gratification. I’m taking the time I need to put myself together to continue thriving and accomplishing new goals in life. Below you will see the completed puzzle and the box it came in. Share some of your own favorite puzzles with me so I can put together more puzzles in 2026. Peace.