Puzzles have always been and shall continue to be a complete entertainer for those of us that love finite solutions. Life, often meanders its way through meadows and valleys before giving us closure or something definite. And sometimes, sitting to work on a 1000 piece jigsaw not only calms you down but also re-ignites feelings of motivation, of being able to balance life.
The hilarious part of dissecting a jigsaw piece was when I was researching it and came across the terms that identify its shape. The part that juts out is called a key and referred to as male whereas the indent part is called a lock or female! How something so inanimate can identify with us humans at a procreational level not only makes me laugh but also gives me another perspective to ponder upon.
When you sit huddled over a table trying to ascertain the pieces into piles of familiarity, aren’t you also doing the same in life? You put the pieces that have probability of syncing in together in different lots and then make the outer framework. Once the structure is ready, you start with one lot and work at it until the part is complete and ‘locked’ in. The beauty of this game is that only one male and one female will have the perfect sync and you have to keep trying until you find that match.
Sudoku is another interesting part of puzzling! The mind works at various permutations and combinations of all the nine numbers but there is only one right number for one square block. And, as much as you try, it needs to be a perfect match to balance the equation of the puzzle. Think of it as a complete life. There are nine aspects that help make it complete, and the only criteria is to find the correct balance and give it a dollop of teamwork.
If I could broadly classify the nine most important aspects of life, I’d put them as love, integrity, empathy, confidence, family, health, faith, career and relationship. This list of nine features in everyone’s life in varying degrees of importance but it is a constant. The key to making this eclectic combination work to give you the life of your dreams, is as simple as finding the perfect lock to fit it in. By no means do I negate theories of self love here, but even if you choose to remain just a key or just a lock.. at some point in life, you will require an indent that will give you a feeling of complete satisfaction.
To be able to strike a correct balance of the nine key aspects of life are where most of us falter and that’s ok.. It is human to err. The only thing to remember here is to keep trying different ways, to find new solutions, and to give yourself room to breathe when you don’t.
A sudoku is not just a mind game but a game of life. By using different combinations for the same solution, you are also tuning yourself to look for answers instead of focussing on the problem. You may complete it at one go or you may want to take a break and come back later. And that is okay because life is very forgiving and extremely patient at that.
It isn’t just a series of events that happens, but a calculated path that you yourself chalk out when you choose to put the nine elements of life in an order of importance. To me, it may be love and to you it may be career but that puzzle will only be a complete success when you use the right number at the right spot!
Also Read: Dotting It!
Cheers!
Pooja
