Today's SideDeal3-Pack: Greenbox 500 Piece Puzzles
Our Take
- Some assembly required
- Cute designs
- 500 pieces = not insanely difficult but still satisfying
- Are they Mac compatible: this is actually a great way to put away your Apple products for a little bit
Put It Together
Consider the following conversation.
PERSON A: So we were waiting and waiting.
PERSON B: Yeah?
A: And finally, it just got to be too much. We reached out to them to be like, ‘Any update on this?’
B: And?
A: We’d sent them the wrong contract entirely! It was totally our fault!
B: Oh no!
A: So embarrassing!
B: That stuff just happens, though.
The background of the conversation is immaterial. What’s important to know is that these two are working on a puzzle together as it unfolds. Person A has paused their work to focus on telling the story, while Person B continues to fit pieces into place. At 500 pieces is not a childish pursuit for two adults, but nor is it too daunting. As such, Person A can know Person B to be listening even as they continue with the task at hand, as it is not one that demands their full attention. In some ways, this might be more ideal than if they each gave the conversation their entire focus, as it alleviates the need for Person A to include Person B more, rather than simply get the day’s happenings off their chest. Likewise, Person B would feel more pressure to provide further input that would ultimately be unnecessary and slow the story down.
Now, consider this second conversation.
PERSON A: So we were waiting and waiting.
PERSON B: Yeah?
A: And finally, it just got to be too much. We reached out to them to be like, ‘Any update on this?’
B: And?
A: We’d sent them the wrong contract entirely! It was totally our fault!
B: Oh no!
A: So embarrassing!
B: That stuff just happens, though.
Yes, this is an identical conversation. The underlying circumstances, however, are quite different. In this scenario, the television is on, and Person B has their phone out. Despite it being a minor anecdote of their day, Person A can’t help but notice Person B’s lack of investment. They will file this away, consciously or not, and will, accordingly, share a bit less of their life with Person B. This will have a compounding effect; when eventually Person A experiences something they need to share with Person B, they will find the work of said sharing to be difficult, as Person B, having not been kept up to date on the minor goings-on between major happenings, will ask many frustrating questions, further stalling the storytelling process and junking up Person B’s understanding and ability to empathize.
In conclusion: puzzles save relationships.
