Puzzling

It started with a preschool masterpiece.

My daughter drew a picture…then cut it into pieces…and proudly told me she made a puzzle.

So naturally, I sat down to solve it.

Except this wasn’t a normal puzzle.

No box. No reference image. No clean edges.

Just chalky marker crayons—pressed hard in some places, barely there in others—and pieces that technically fit… but didn’t always make sense.

And the wild part?

She knew exactly where every piece went.

And as I worked through it, I realized...puzzles have stages.

Stage 1: “I’ve Got This”

You sit down confident.

This is going to be fun. Maybe even relaxing.

You channel your inner Winston Bishop from New Girl.

There’s joy here. Optimism. A little delusional confidence.

You genuinely believe this is going to go smoothly.

Stage 2: The Edge Strategy

You get to work.

Corners first. Edges next.

Because if you can just build the frame… everything else should fall into place.

This is how we approach life, too:

• build the routine

• create the plan

• control the structure

We assume if the outline is solid, the middle will be easy.

Stage 3: The Slow Down

The edges are done.

And now it’s just you… and the rest of it.

No obvious matches. No quick wins.

Just subtle differences, similar colors, pieces that almost fit but don’t quite.

This is where puzzling stops being fun… and starts being work.

Stage 4: “Do I Even Have All the Pieces?”

You’ve looked at everything.

Twice. Maybe ten times.

And still…nothing fits.

So your brain goes:

There’s no way I have all the pieces. Something is missing. This doesn’t make sense.

And this is the moment most people don’t recognize for what it is.

Because it’s not about the puzzle anymore.

It’s about what we do when our available options don’t match our current needs.

Stage 5: Breakthrough

Out of nowhere, one piece fits.

Clean. Obvious. Undeniable.

And it shifts everything.

Because now you remember:

Oh… it’s just a puzzle. I can handle this.

Stage 6: Light at the End

A few more pieces click.

Not all at once.

But enough.

Enough to see progress. Enough to feel momentum. Enough to believe you’re actually going to finish this thing.

Stage 7: The Final Stretch

Now it’s just… steady.

Piece by piece.

No shortcuts. No forcing.

Just showing up and placing what fits.

Then, you sit back.

Look at it.

And there it is.

Not easy. But complete.

The Part That Hit Me Later

As I sat there working through my daughter’s puzzle…I couldn’t stop thinking about another time I'd been here before.

A few nights before my father-in-law passed, we were all gathered in his room.

There wasn’t anything to fix. Nothing to solve.

Just time to sit in.

So we did a puzzle.

And it was hard.

Not just the puzzle itself—but everything surrounding it.

But we stayed.

Piece by piece.

Together.

And looking back, it wasn’t about finishing it.

It was about having something to hold onto while everything else felt uncertain.

It gave us:

• focus in the middle of grief

• movement in the middle of stillness

• connection in the middle of not having answers

It felt… necessary.

Like part of the process.

The MoveMaker Takeaway

Not every puzzle comes with a picture.

Some look like this one—

Uneven.

Inconsistent.

And yet…

Someone made it with intention.

Someone knows what it CAN look like.

Even if you don’t.

So if you’re in a stage where:

• nothing is clicking

• you’re questioning the pieces

• you’re tempted to force something that doesn’t fit

You’re not behind.

You’re not missing anything.

You’re just in the middle.

Keep puzzling.