| Did you know the first jigsaw puzzle was created in 1762? John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker, pasted a map onto wood and then cut around the countries. He gave the 'dissected map' to local school children to help them with their geography education and it was an instant hit. Soon the concept was copied by others and expanded to other educational images. Over time, the name changed from dissected maps to jigsaw puzzles.
Flash forward all these years later and jigsaw puzzles are still going strong. In fact, in the spring of 2020, jigsaw puzzle sales jumped by 300 to 400%! Given the times we live in and all that jigsaw puzzles have to offer, their renewed popularity is not surprising. Puzzling is fun to do with others, but also a contemplative, peaceful thing to do by ourselves. We can unplug from our many devices, listen to music, and let our thoughts wander.
Best of all, we get a little jolt of joy every time an individual piece fits perfectly into place, or when we slide a large section over and it connects to other sections. When we get bogged down, if we take a break and then work on a new section, we usually find that things start clicking into place again. There are so many lessons for life in all that, right?
As luck would have it, right before the snow hit Skagit Valley, Primrose received a large shipment of jigsaw puzzles. The selection is great and more will be coming in every month.
As we dream of spring and contemplate ways to bring balance and joy to our lives in the coming year, perhaps the perfect place to start is at the puzzle table with a cup of tea?
Happy New Year, everyone! |
