Slow…the word itself seems to carry negative connotations with it. Perhaps as Americans, we are caught up in all modes of increasing productivity or perhaps we are just becoming too conditioned to immediate gratification, but the fact of the matter is, being slow is not a trait to be lauded in most people’s minds.
Recently I purchased a 1000 piece puzzle for my family to work on over Christmas break. I don’t find many members of my family who gain as much satisfaction from puzzle completion as I do, but nonetheless, we all worked on it a bit as we had more time for relaxation than we do in other seasons of the year. I cleared off my coffee table and we laid out each piece and over the course of weeks, we slowly scanned the pieces for the perfect fits to combine into a completed work of art. It is still sitting there as I write this, and I am not in a hurry to complete it or to have my table cleared. In fact, once this one is finished, I plan to purchase another puzzle because this one has been such a lesson in slow, delayed gratification.
Without fail, each person who has helped with the puzzle completion has mentioned how challenging the puzzle is and has questioned their level of patience for such a hobby. I think these deterrents are the very reasons why I enjoy the puzzle so much. The slow and steady search for details that will make the piece match, the joy of focusing solely on something that is not on a digital screen, the lovely music I play in the background, and the feeling of accomplishment when a segment comes together; it has been good for my productivity-seeking soul.
This project of slow completion has reminded me that sometimes the answers we seek are not clear until we step away from the circumstances. We tend to get so focused on finding a resolution to a problem as quickly as possible in order to check it off our lists. With puzzles, sometimes you have to step away before you’ve met your goal, and upon returning, you find the piece you needed was right in front of your eyes, but your narrowness of focus was keeping it from surfacing. Puzzles require patience in order to see them through, and often the sequence of completion is not what you would have chosen, but it works nevertheless; life is much the same way.
When this puzzle is completed, I will enjoy the moment in which I place the final piece and I will take a photo to share with all who helped make it possible. Then I will dismantle it and excitedly prepare for the next challenge. Slow…may it become synonymous with methodical, thorough, and savoring.