Long Easter weekends were my usual time for high-adrenaline activities. Last year, I had a truly exhilarating experience snorkeling and windsurfing in Diani. This year, with an eye injury that had just gotten infected before the long weekend, getting into seawater was totally out of the question.
So, what to do with myself over the three days? Well, I got hold of a jigsaw puzzle, which was a gift from two lovely friends who visited me in the hospital. The 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle mirrored my fragmented, post-accident life; It felt like I broke into 1000 pieces, and I wondered how I would put myself back together. Little did I know that my arduous healing journey, just like this daunting puzzle, held profound insights into the art of slow creativity.
Armed with lots of patience, my first strategy was to colour-code the pieces and start with the lowest-hanging fruit. In the puzzle, I started with the big green house, the easiest to colour-code in the set. In my post-accident life, my physical rehabilitation became my entry point into holistic healing.
As I continued this slow creative journey, I unearthed a few insights:
How to embrace alignment: Each piece has its place, and I cannot force a piece to fit where it doesn’t belong. The best approach is to collect similar pieces and through trial and error, I finally get each piece to its rightful place. This also applies to my life as I seek to re-align my capacity and priorities with my new circumstances. I can't insist on doing what I have no capacity for, so I have become resourceful rather than forceful.
Importance of shifting perspectives: If I stagnate in one area, it shouldn’t mean I stall altogether. I can shift focus to another area of the puzzle and then come back to the stubborn segment with fresh eyes. In my healing journey, where I am following up on so many health-related issues while doing remote consultancy work and sharing motivational stories on my blog and WhatsApp channel, shifting focus is how I avoid obsessing over obstacles or delays. I re-energize and find renewed vigour in alternating activities.
Learning to celebrate the process: The joy of the journey is not in completing it but in the creative process of aligning the pieces, moment by moment. I did not complete the puzzle in the three days I had, but I enjoyed each of those three days immensely, just as I love each day I get to piece my life together.
Perhaps you have also discovered profound insights in doing humble tasks. I would love to learn from you.
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