It’s puzzling wiling away the hours
It’s puzzling why I am writing this newsletter at the last minute.
Actually, it’s not. It’s predictable, really.
This week I started a new jigsaw puzzle. So every moment, when I should or could be doing something else, I’m drawn to the puzzle table.
“I’m just going to do five pieces,” I said to Manfred after breakfast but before I left for work.
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, just five is all I’m going to do. Then, I’m going.”
“I know you,” he said. “You will never be able to stop at five.”
And isn’t that the truth.
Jigsaw puzzles are addictive.
They check all the boxes that we as humans need and want:
– sense of accomplishment whether it is one piece put into place or the completion of the puzzle
– a clear goal since we know the number of pieces and what the final product will look like
– little hits of dopamine in our brain as we are rewarded for finding the right piece
– lots of positive re-enforcement as we see the progress taking shape before our eyes
– distraction from our daily stressors
During Covid lockdowns, puzzling soared to the highs of the Great Depression when puzzles were viewed as an inexpensive, reusable and shareable entertainment. They were a relaxing way to spend hours and forget your financial woes.
Right now, I’m trying to write this as fast as I can, so I can get back to my puzzle, but I wanted to tell you a little bit about their history.
The “Jigsaw” label was applied in the early 1900’s after this became the most popular saw to cut the wooden pieces of the paintings that made up the puzzle picture. And now, even after the post world war II manufacturing process created the quality cardboard backed pictures of today, the jigsaw name is still attached.
The first puzzles were made in the mid 1700’s when cartographers attached their maps to boards and then cut the pieces along the borders of each country. These “dissected maps” were used to teach geography to their students and the children of the upper classes including royal children.
The first cardboard puzzles in the 1800’s were seen as inferior products and didn’t gain the same popularity as their wooden forbearers. Parker Brothers of Massachusetts, who brought Monopoly to the world, marketed their first jigsaw puzzle in 1887. Although Germany’s Ravensburger game company began operation in 1883, they didn’t produce their first puzzles until the 1960’s. Now, they are the puzzle kings of Europe.
Of course, there is a World Puzzle Championship held in Spain. Last year, over 1000 competitors entered and the winner completed a 500 piece puzzle in 38 minutes.
If I could become that fast, puzzling wouldn’t be cutting into my other commitments quite so much.
Sorry, gotta go, do five pieces.
It’s puzzling wiling away the hours.