April 27, 2022

This is Dolly. Or Hello Dolly as the Boulder based puzzle company names her. Yes. She’s a charmer. However, being made in my sister’s home town is not the reason she sent me this puzzle. Our family has a long relationship with puzzles and I have a clear memory of putting my first one together at the age of three, although at perhaps five pieces it was far less complicated. A clown balancing a ball on his nose, if I remember correctly although it was sixty-seven years ago. My sister names me a puzzle savant. We will see about that.

So this puzzle arrives several weeks ago and I put it aside waiting for this week when Dennis is at the coast flying kites. He’s not a huge puzzle fan. This is my last week before I head to Ireland for two-and-a-half months and I’m on Ema watch. This is precious time together, perhaps our last, even if she’s sleeping through most of it. Yes, she’s still with us although barely. She can’t be left alone and spends much time staring off into other spaces and realms and it takes some calling to bring her attention back. And I suppose that her now pooping on the front porch does give us a better opportunity to monitor her feces. But I digress.

I’m ready for Ireland. All the logistics are sorted and the arrangements made. I’m mostly packed. And so this week is one of anticipating this new unfolding. I wasn’t sure about launching into a puzzle. But it turns out this particular jigsaw puzzle is beyond perfect for where I am because this is no ordinary jigsaw puzzle. As you can see from this photo, the pieces are quite extraordinary. Many have unique shapes that alone and in combination tell their own story within the over all story. And there are very few edge pieces so the normal approach of first doing the frame is a strategy that simply doesn’t work. It’s best to just see how the pieces want to group themselves. In this combining they create the edges and even the corners.

What a perfect analogy for this new spiritual unfolding. There is no possibility of creating the frame or structure to contain it. It’s all about seeing how the pieces want to go together and tell their story. 

And so just when I need it, the universe speaks through a llama named Dolly. Hello?

Blessings of Crone Wisdom,
Judith

Note: Shout out to my sister for sending me this puzzle. Patricia, I’m pretty sure you didn’t anticipate the spiritual lesson in it. But there you have it. Love you loads!!!