A Magnificent Obsession!

Magnificent Obsession!

I thought that working on puzzles was supposed to be good for your brain?  That was my intention (honest!) when I pushed the go button on the Jigsaw Puzzle site.  Now I feel like the fellow in my  'Computer Games' poem (from "How To Wash A Puddle").  'I've been sitting here at least an hour,'   Make that an hour and a half, then two hours!  Talk about an obsession taking hold!  You know you're in trouble when you start looking at beautiful scenery around you, and you start picturing it in puzzle pieces!   It's given my 3 a.m. wake-up sessions a whole other reason to worry - putting together a puzzle in my mind does not make for a good sleep potion.   I'd try counting sheep, but then, I'd be dismantling them into their various parts before they got over the proverbial fence.  Help!   

Time is so precious - I should be putting it into one of the many really worthwhile obsessions.  I don't know how many of you have read the book called, 'The Magnificent Obsession';  It was written many years ago, in 1929 actually,  by Lloyd C. Douglas (Douglas was also the author of 'The Robe' among many other books that were made into inspiring movies).   The theme of the book is the 'pay it forward' concept.  The main character has a life-altering experience:  He is saved from drowning  at the expense of the life of a much-loved doctor:  He leaves his life of frivolity, and is inspired to become a physician, saving the lives of many others, to pay back the sacrifice that was made for him.

How does this relate to my 'puzzle' dilemma?  The world holds many tempting distractions that keep us from having the  time or interest to accomplish things that will pay forward and make a positive difference in the lives of others.  When the time comes for the big picture to finally be revealed to us, may I have turned my puzzle pieces into small acts of kindness in appreciation for all of the pieces, big and small that others have given to me, that have helped me to make sense of  this amazing puzzle called life. 

Living life fully, by giving, is truly a Magnificent Obsession -  Onwards!