Puzzling

Doing a puzzle the other night got me thinking about a few things, similarities between puzzles and life. One is, how many different pieces of a puzzle can seem to fit into another piece, but when the picture starts to come together, you soon find out you put it together wrong. Another, the feeling of satisfaction when you put that last piece of a section into place, feeling the edges fit together and seeing the picture come to life gives a feeling like no other. Also, the fact that you can have all of the pieces laid out in front of you, yet you still cannot find that one piece you're searching for. You look over all of them so many times, but still can't find it. You can give up and say, that piece must have gotten lost. Throw the puzzle back into it's box and forget it. Or you can continue to finish the rest of the puzzle, eventually finding that missing piece was there all along. You just had to get rid of some of the clutter to see it clearly.

Sometimes I feel like I can see the picture on the front of the box, I can feel the excitement and drive to make it come to fruition, and I have at the thing like there's no tomorrow. Pieces falling into place all over the board, satisfying me from deep inside... then I get stuck or have something else that needs done and there the puzzle sits, off in the corner, with holes all over it. Waiting until I can get around to it again. Or worse, I see it there waiting to be finished and it starts to get in the way, so I tear it up and put it away to be started all over again some other time. I feel like this the most right now, like I need to start all over again but just don't have the patience or drive I need to work on it. I'm too scared of the table in the corner with the puzzle full of gaps, taunting me and getting in the way. I'm afraid I won't finish it, I'm afraid I'll lose the pieces, or I'm just afraid the picture won't turn out the same as on the box. So how do I finish this puzzle? I am still wondering, as the box sits on a shelf, covered in dust and dreams put on hold. How is it I feel so old at only 26 years of age? Where do I go from here? Who am I when all the pieces are fitted and the picture comes into view? Is this the puzzle I should be working on? Or is there another one out there that would better suit me? And what happens after it is completed? Will I tear apart the puzzle and put it away again? What other ending is there for a puzzle?