As you get older, you begin to forget about the little things in life that provided you with joy, such as games, puzzles, and other activities you used to do as a kid. You are constantly overwhelmed with the real world, but it is important to slow down sometimes and do something you enjoy in your free time. One day, my roommate and I decided to buy a puzzle — something that would keep us off our phones and make us interact. Since then, we have continued to complete more and more puzzles.
This may seem like a silly concept, but at home, we would often find ourselves rotting away in front of the TV every day. We wanted to do something different but we weren’t sure what. As the weather got colder we knew that going outside was out of the question. That’s when my roommate and I came home with a puzzle. All four of us gathered around the table to see what was in store. As we dumped out the pieces, we collaborated to decide what was the best way to go about it. We continued to listen to the TV behind us, but instead of having our phones in our faces, we talked and concentrated on completing the puzzle as a team. Each puzzle we completed was a little victory for us. We would keep it completed for a few days to bask in our glory before taking it apart and starting a new one.
It has taken us days to complete a puzzle due to the number of pieces in it. But each day, if any of us had free time, we would continue to work on it. If one of us was the only one home or didn’t have class, we would sit and listen to music as we continued to work on it. Each time we would get another piece, we would congratulate one another, giving each person their own little victory. Since each puzzle has four sides, we would each get a side to start on. It was exciting to see us slowly meet up in the middle as we continued to work on it. The key to successfully completing a puzzle is communication.
Working on puzzles was more than just something that kept us busy. It has brought us all together in one space to work together to create something. Each time we complete a new puzzle, we continue to bond and improve our communication, not just in doing puzzles but also in the house overall. My roommates and I have never had better communication than we do now, now that we started doing puzzles together. My suggestion to anyone who may feel as though their roommates are struggling to connect or communicate is to whip out a puzzle and see where it goes.
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