When Hobbies Attack: Puzzling Through the Madness

Let me start by saying this: my niece, Aunt Nicole, is a GEM. A treasure! A ray of sunshine! She is the kind of aunt who swoops in, sprinkles her magical influence, and makes you think, Wow, what did I do to deserve such an amazing human in my life? Aunt Nicole’s hobbies? Always top-notch. Her creativity? Unmatched. Her ability to be patient with a thousand tiny little pieces? Perfected.

Which brings me to... the puzzle.

Aunt Nicole recently introduced Brittany to puzzles. Now, puzzles aren’t just “a little hobby” for Nicole; they’re a passion. An art form. She doesn’t just do puzzles—she curates them. She showed Brittany one of hers, so now Brittany saw a 1,000-piece behemoth of puzzles for the holidays. And naturally, Brittany thought, Wow! I want to do that too!

Did Brittany ask Aunt Nicole to sit down and guide her through this cardboard masterpiece? No, of course not. She asked me.

Stage One: Blissful Ignorance

“Sure, Brittany, we can do a puzzle together!” I said, completely clueless about the disaster awaiting me. I pictured us laughing, sipping cocoa, and finishing it in a couple of hours. I mean, how hard can a puzzle really be? Spoiler alert: IT’S HARD.

The moment we dumped the pieces out onto the table, I knew I was in over my head. It wasn’t just pieces. It was a chaotic mess of jagged shapes, mocking me with their tiny, slightly varied shades of blue skies and stone walls.

Brittany was all smiles. “Mom, this is going to be SO fun!”And then—just 10 minutes later—she was gone.

Stage Two: The Abandonment

“Mom, I’m going to grab a snack!” Brittany chirped. What she didn’t mention was that “snack” was code for “leaving you to suffer alone.” Suddenly, it was just me versus 1,000 pieces. My hands were cramping, my eyes were squinting, and I was pretty sure my sanity was somewhere under the table along with the corner pieces I couldn’t find.

Meanwhile, Brittany was happily munching popcorn, oblivious to the fact that her mother was fighting for her life in Puzzle Purgatory.

Stage Three: The Descent

You know what’s worse than a puzzle? A puzzle that’s mostly sky. Why does the Eiffel Tower need so much blue sky around it? Is it too much to ask for just a smidge of variety in color? Every piece looked like it belonged somewhere else.

Brittany wandered back in occasionally to “help,” which meant she put in one piece and declared, “Mom! Look how good we are at this!” WE?! WE?! I was on the verge of breaking out a magnifying glass, and Brittany was on episode three of her snack break.

Stage Four: The Nicole Factor

At one point, I thought, Why couldn’t Aunt Nicole be here right now? This is her masterpiece, after all! She would’ve sat down, clicked in the pieces with ease, and probably taught us a life lesson while doing it. Aunt Nicole is like the Puzzle Whisperer. She probably knows how to make puzzles fun. Me? I just know how to lose my mind.

But that’s the thing about Nicole—she’s so amazing that even when she accidentally ropes me into these situations, I can’t even be mad.

Stage Five: The Emotional Rollercoaster

As the hours dragged on, I hit a point of delirium. I was muttering to the pieces like they could hear me. “Oh, you think you’re clever, don’t you? You’re not even part of the Eiffel Tower. You’re just a random bush!”

But then Brittany looked up at me with those big, sweet eyes and said, “Mom, I’m so glad we’re doing this together. Aunt Nicole says puzzles bring people closer.”

And just like that, I melted. Stupid puzzle, making me all sentimental.

The Finish Line (Or Lack Thereof)

No, we haven’t finished the puzzle. In fact, I’m convinced this thing might finish me first. At this point, I need to call in reinforcements. I’m talking snacks, a catered meal, maybe a smoke signal for help. If it takes bribing someone with freshly baked cookies or a bottle of wine, even VODKA, so be it. I’m not above serving cocktails to coax the adults in my life into joining this madness.

This puzzle isn’t just a project anymore—it’s a hostage situation. The table is officially unusable for anything else, and I’m starting to think we’re going to have to move around it for Thanksgiving dinner. Brittany’s still excited, of course. She pops in every now and then, drops in one piece, and proudly announces, “We’re getting so close, Mom!”

CLOSE?! Sweetie, at this rate, the puzzle’s going to outlive us both.

So, here’s to Aunt Nicole: puzzle master, child influencer, and the aunt every kid deserves. Nicole, if you’re reading this, I love you, but PLEASE—whatever you do, don’t mention cross-stitching, knitting, or anything else involving tiny pieces to Brittany. My sanity can’t handle another round.

~ Mary

#MomLifeWithMary