Shifting Gears

Merry Christmas Eve....and by the time most of you read this it will likely be Christmas Day.  So Merry Christmas...from my home to yours.

If there's anything we've learned in the last few years it's knowing how and when to shift gears. We've had to learn to go with the flow and make peace with...and maybe even embrace whatever comes our way.

So this is my Shifting Gears Christmas Eve Story....and it's OK if you don't have time to read it. It is Christmas after all....and you probably have better things to do. 

I started this puzzle almost exactly a week ago.  I loved the artist rendering of a cozy and idyllic Christmas scene and thought it would be fun during Advent.  

I don't tend to do many scenery puzzles....I like clear definitions of shapes....grids, rows of things, and rainbow patterns are more my thing.  But I was drawn into this nearly perfect Christmas scene. Aren't we all?

The border was easy....and because my table is small I generally work on the top and push it up and connect the border as I go. But when I began to work on the endless dark sky and branches at the top it was HARD....and I wondered what I was thinking.  But I found some strategies and had just enough success to keep going. It's good to be challenged once in a while.

Then just a few days ago it was time to start working on the roofs.  I sorted the pieces....and organized them by shape in some of my box tops....and once again I was overwhelmed. All the pieces looked the same. Was I having fun?  I wasn't sure.

I need to pause the puzzle part of this story....because right at this point in time we had a shifting gears moment for our family. Out of necessity and caution....we needed to postpone our family Christmas.  It was the right thing to do based on our circumstances and the details are not important for the purpose of this story. But all of a sudden it was just going to be just Paul and me for Christmas....and that was going to be OK.  We could easily shift gears....and we would celebrate with the family sometime in January.  All would be well.

Now back to the puzzle...was I having fun?  I still wasn't sure.  I can only remember one puzzle that I abandoned and didn't finish.  I've done some hard ones...but I keep at them and see them through.

I realized that this one was barely going to fit on my table from top to bottom....so it's wasn't going to be easy to start working on some of the more interesting parts at the bottom. So I shifted gears.

I moved it onto a couple of boards and put it on the dining room table. Christmas dinner was going to be postponed and Paul and I didn't need the whole big table...and the boards will allow me to move it aside if I needed to. Maybe I'll finish it....and maybe I won't. But moving it gave me options....and some relief.

So I started working on one I bought when I was shopping with Anita. It's colorful...and doable....just what I needed while I shifted gears. I did half today for Christmas Eve...and I'll do the other half tomorrow on Christmas Day.

Sometimes you have to let go of the what might seem like the perfect Christmas scene...or day....and shift gears.....

...and keep it simple and doable. This one has just 100 pieces...I can do that! 

Merry Christmas! May your gears be oiled....and easily shifted!