The story of my life is so similar to this jigsaw puzzle patchwork I set out to sew. To make this puzzle, the cloth was cut into pieces and so was my life. I was broken and shattered. Each piece looked different from the other. The pieces seemed asymmetrical and thus they did not fit into the puzzle. How would I sew them together? How I would I gather my shattered self?
The colours too, were different from one another. Red, did not make sense with yellow. Green was so different from white. They were all so bright, blinding me in the eye. I wished the colours were not so stark for if I put them together the follies would be visible from afar.
I was overwhelmed with the task of stitching the patches and equally perturbed in my life. To save myself from further agony, I locked away the pieces in the closet because I was sure in the dark of the night, God would take pity on my soul and send the little elves my way to sew the patches together. Similarly, I let my life sulk and remain battered in a hope that an armoured knight will come to sweep me off my feet! I waited for the elves and the knight alike. None came and life went along unchanged.
The time moved on and did not make a difference till I made the effort to pick the threads and swatches of fabric, to sew them into an intricate pattern. I stitched with passion. I was mistaken, the passage of time did make a difference. The feelings of dismay that once overwhelmed me had abated. The failure in the context I once was, had changed. The different colours now made sense. As I sewed, I understood that it was not important to be of the same hue to fit into the puzzle. Rather, the vibrant colours brought life to the otherwise dishevelled and mundae piece of art.
Out of the closet, my tattered life too, now resembled the rich filigree which bedazzles everyone with its shadow play. There was light, so there were shadows and so there was the shadow play!! The shadows personify darkness but at this juncture, for me they meant the prevalence of light round the corner.
Friends and relatives, started to fill the empty spaces with love and advice. I took some and let the others be!! The filled lattice looked more like a jigsaw puzzle that had finally fallen into place. Each shape was part of the bigger picture. Each colour whether dark or light, gave meaning to life! Once, I tried to remove the ‘dark’ piece but there was none to substitute. Now that I look from afar, I realise, the ‘dark’ gives depth to the picture. It brings out the vibrance of colours and ‘life’ alike.
The effort paid off. The jigsaw puzzle was complete. Here I have an exquisite work to show off by an equally vibrant person that’s me!!
The 'indulgent'...bystander 