What puzzles reveal

Puzzles. We've all been doing them lately, right? And not just to pass the time: puzzles are challenges that we enjoy. But they require patience, Which is probably why it's been awhile since I've spent much time poring over small, oddly-shaped pieces of cardboard spread out on a table. And re-engaging with them has reminded me of that notorious puzzle-related injury, "puzzle neck." In spite of this, they've given me hours of fun, and many insights:

• Often you're looking for a piece with a recognizable attribute (say, the lowest tree branch), and you inevitably realize it has been abstracted into several jigsawed shapes. So you have to find it by less obvious means.
• Sometimes you have that aha! moment when you rotate a piece upside down and it fits. Your previous perspective defined and limited your ability to see.
• After working on a puzzle for an hour or two, you can magically find (in the random pile on the table) the missing piece for that part of the puzzle you're no longer obsessing over.

When we work on puzzles, our preconceptions and frames of reference are upended. A good lesson for this difficult time. We need to look for creative solutions, and be careful we don't overlook something because it doesn't look they way we think it should.