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Suppose your life is like a 100,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and every person in your life, every encounter, every good thing that happened to you and everything bad that happens to you is a piece of your puzzle or life. How old will you live to be? 40, 60, 80? Okay, let’s say you make it to 80. That would be 1,250 pieces a year for your puzzle or almost 3.5 pieces that make up your life every day. What does your puzzle look like? Can you make it out yet?

Now each event or puzzle piece in your life may be more valuable in your life. Say you had the best hamburger in your life today. Well, it just earned a piece of your puzzle. You got a fun call from your sister that was funny enough to spit your coke out that you were drinking. There’s another piece. Each piece doesn’t have to be an each shaker. But then you learn about of the death of a good friend or even family member and your heart sinks. That person already had over a hundred of good pieces in your life, maybe a thousand. Now there is going to be a void, or maybe just black hole puzzle pieces in your life as you grieve. As a matter of fact, it takes up more space than winning that championship or earning that great check that adds dozens of good pieces to your puzzle each week.

So where are you in finishing your puzzle? Has it been finished for a long time and your just living on borrowed time? Maybe you didn’t understand that pieces of your puzzle can be replaced or traded with other experiences. You can earn some good pieces that will replace or you’ll be able to forget about the bad. While you are thinking about how your life puzzle looks and how dark or bright it looks like and how many great pieces in the puzzle I’m going to change your prospective a little.

You see it doesn’t matter what your picture is going to look like after all is said and done. Your biggest question will be how many pieces of you are you in other people’s lives and puzzles? Once you make it to the other side, your biggest life accomplishment will be in how many other people’s lives you were in in a good way. How many pretty pieces did you give away? How did you help and influence? How many good times did you make and share with others. That’s all they are talking about on the other side. It’s the unconditional love and forgiveness stuff. The golden rule, treating people how you wanted to be treated and such.

At some point in your life you stop caring about the beautiful puzzle you are making for yourself and decide it is so much more rewarding to help with someone else’s puzzle. So you see where this was going after all, it wasn’t a puzzle at all. Congratulations, I hope all the pieces you give away have lots of bright colors and love in them.