Puzzle Pieces

Puzzle pieces. Life is somewhat like a puzzle. It comes to you in pieces. It never really displays its whole picture. Though at times it may feel as if you can see it, those moments are only component parts of the frame. They don't really capture the whole.

When you think of your life, of the sum of its parts, there are pieces that simply are a part of you. I think of them as the spine of my life. And there are others that come and go. Some of these may be so fleeting that they are almost as quick as a butterfly. Yet, like a butterfly, metaphorically, the beating of those wings can make tidal waves in your life. Still others may be there steadfastly over the years, silent here and there, but present. These parts or puzzle pieces may take the form of many things, but I tend to believe that the most important are the people and perhaps sometimes the creatures that you meet along the way.

These puzzle pieces intrigue me. I have noticed lately that sometimes we seek certain pieces out. It is as if we are trying to mold our lives. I have a very dear friend who has been trying for a long while to do this. To make their life over again, change it from what they never had to what they want to have. And so they moves from relationship to relationship, creating families for themself that are outside of their own. Compact little units that they can join and retreat from at will. Hoping against hope that at some point these puzzle pieces will fill the gap that was created at the root, not realizing that the root has to be repaired first. Despite this they remain relatively content in these fragmentary families. Perhaps each one brings them new entrees into understanding themselves a bit better, and perhaps that is all we can really ask of those we attract into our lives. Somehow, I hope there is more.

I believe that the people we attract into our lives can help us learn a great deal about who we are, where we are heading and perhaps where we may choose to be today. That being said, it is not always easy to see the patterns we are living when we are in the center of them. Much as my friend, no doubt, does not see the pattern in the life they are living. And, perhaps the pattern does not matter, so long as in the living, we are happy. I wonder if my friends look at my life and can see me dancing the same steps and simply are too kind to point out that I am being redundant? Perhaps if I knew I could break the pattern and find a path that might lead to a contentment that lasts?

Or perhaps the pieces of the puzzle have not yet aligned yet, and when they do - the winds of change will carry them to me. Until then, I will rely on the spine of my life and on those constant pieces that provide their quiet and quality support. And of course continue to examine the fit and feel of each new piece that finds its way into the puzzle that is life - going and growing -

In Living Colour