What could be more fun than doing a Paisley jigsaw puzzle? We at Just Paisley can think of a few things, but completing a jigsaw puzzle is much more than just about fun.
Is there anything more satisfying than putting the final piece of the puzzle into a jigsaw puzzle? I can think of a few things, but completing a jigsaw puzzle is much more than about satisfaction.
There are a few more potential questions here:
Is there anything better for the brain than a jigsaw puzzle?
Is there anything more relaxing than doing a jigsaw puzzle?
The answers are the same to both questions. But really they could have been combined to ask – Is there anything better than a jigsaw puzzle? And definitively - it is no!
But, on the other hand, is there anything more infuriating than getting to the last piece of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle and not being able to find it? I can’t think of anything. So, if it happens to you, it is time to look at your cohabitees, and if you don’t have cohabitees, to look at your pets, and if you don’t have any pets, to look at your friends, and if you don’t have any friends, to look at that midget ghost again.
Yes, none of them will admit any involvement with the piece – realistically, how could the pet, even if it was involved – so, there is nothing to be done, other than that final check of the vacuum cleaner contents.
After that, your only thought will be that there is some cruel jigsaw manufacturer out there who deliberately takes one piece out of every jigsaw and hides it in a giant safe.
You will then probably go online and ask the question if anyone else has been affected by a missing jigsaw piece. There will be at least one person out there who has suffered from the same experience, and between you, you will form a Jigsaw conspiracy group. Before you know it, it will take over your life. You will never complete another jigsaw, and you will spend your time trying to raise funds for a class action suit against all jigsaw manufacturers - you will by this time convince yourself they are all conspiring to sell puzzles one piece short to entice you to buy another jigsaw puzzle.
But, stop! There is no conspiracy – you lost a jigsaw puzzle piece. That’s it! Get over it and move on – to your next jigsaw. You have completed the last jigsaw because when there is only one piece to be filled, where else can the last piece go – whether you have it or not?
We won’t discuss the scenario of 2 or more pieces being missing. That is for another article and Just Paisley won’t be writing it.
Now, I won’t bore you with the fact that the jigsaw puzzle dates back to 1760 London. No, and I know you are not interested in the fact that there is an annual Jigsaw World Championships (there’s probably a world championship for everything except ‘Basting The Verruca’) and it is held every year at the Jigsaw Puzzle Museum in Tagaytay, Philippines.
Such information, while mildly interesting, is not as important as learning the beneficial effects of completing jigsaw puzzles.
Those 8 Paisley jigsaw puzzle benefits
Memory
It improves your memory to the extent that you will probably remember where you put the jigsaw puzzle before you started it.
Concentration
It allows you to focus hard for long periods – so if you had a concentration muscle, and as I am not a doctor, you might – and this can blandly be stated to be a good thing.
Cognition
Your cognitive abilities are improved through completing jigsaw puzzles. This working of your brain helps in the process of learning and understanding.
Spatial intelligence
Jigsaw puzzles teach us to think with our mind’s eye. Spaces make us reason as to what we are looking for, and by continually challenging ourselves, we are continually improving our abilities.
Self-esteem
We should and do take great satisfaction from completing a hard jigsaw puzzle. The hardest jigsaw puzzle will require persistence, tenacity, and other similar words that fall short of bravery.
Relaxation
The process of completing a jigsaw puzzle can be so relaxing unless, of course, someone else who will remain nameless (as I don’t know anything about you) decides they want to get involved. If this happens, they will want to enforce their system on you, they will ridicule your system, you will be either too quick or too slow for them, and when the puzzle is accidentally toppled, it will be your fault i.e. you made them do it.
Educational
Let’s just say you are out in the wilderness and you bump into Big Foot, you will recognise it straight away – only because you have completed a 10,000-piece Big Foot jigsaw puzzle.
Key Point – If you are really bold, you could carry around a Big Foot jigsaw puzzle whenever you enter the wilderness. If you run into Big Foot, you can choose to complete the puzzle with him and discuss the likeness. But remember point 6 above – there is every likelihood that Big Foot will lose the head and eat you!
Fun
Jigsaws are fun – not ‘funny ha-ha’, but fun nonetheless.
So, there can’t be any question about the merits of jigsaw puzzles, so just before you take the plunge – here are:
10 Musts When It Comes To Jigsaws
When you complete a jigsaw, take a photo of it. There are always doubters out there, and photographic evidence, while not as conclusive as it used to be before photoshopping became a thing, should provide as much proof of completion as you would ever want to provide.
Don’t attempt a jigsaw under the influence of alcohol – an inebriated jigsaw can be quite touchy when touched.
Always complete a jigsaw that is more difficult than the last one you completed. That doesn’t necessarily mean more pieces, it means doing it in the dark.
Don’t stay up all evening completing a jigsaw. This will throw your body clock into imbalance, make you irritable the next day, and will likely lead to jigsawtitis (which is a yet-to-be-discovered medical disease).
Don’t mix the pieces of more than 5 jigsaws and attempt to complete them all at one time. Instead, go away and attempt to build an alternative to a nuclear reactor.
Tailor your jigsaw puzzle giving to the abilities and interests of your intended recipients. Paisley jigsaw puzzles are for adults. 7-year-olds might prefer a 100-piece Dinosaur jigsaw.
Don’t beat yourself up if you are struggling to complete your Paisley jigsaw puzzle. Just swap it for a Solar System 100-piece Jigsaw Puzzle.
Don’t do the same jigsaw puzzle twice. Join a jigsaw exchange community. That way you will meet some new jigsaws and maybe even some new friends.
Don’t impose your controversial jigsawing views on others. There are enough problems in the world without you adding to them. Nobody is interested! Just leave it!
Jigsawing is a very personal thing. It slows your world down. It brings sanity and serenity to those who participate. So, please be respectful of them. Just buy them that Paisley jigsaw puzzle and leave them to get on with it in their own time.
One more for luck? If you buy a wooden jigsaw puzzle and can't complete it, rather than give it to someone else who will not be able to complete it, or will be able to complete it and will make you feel inadequate - just feel free to put it on the fire - if your fire is of the flame kind.
Please get to it!