How to Look At Waste (And Life) Like A Jigsaw Puzzle

Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved doing jigsaw puzzles. I think it really kicked off in second grade when I would do them in the back of the classroom after I finished my work. According to my mom, the work wasn't challenging and I'd finish early, so I needed something to focus on.

A recent regifted puzzle that I left with my mom.

So, for anyone out there who has ever done a puzzle, I have a question. When you open the box, what is your goal? Do you look at the problematic pile of pieces, get annoyed, put it away and do something else? No. You focus on the solution and you put the puzzle together to see the complete picture.

Maybe it's a result of my "puzzling" childhood, but this problem solving concept has carried over for me until adulthood. When I found out how much water it takes to make 1 new T-Shirt (713 gallons of water for those taking notes), I didn't get annoyed and keep producing new shirts. I came up with a solution to that problem in the form of reusing T-Shirts for STAY VOCAL.

When I set out to make the REUSE! Documentary, I watched a whole slew of documentaries and videos in advance. The running theme was the problems with our planet and the waste that we make. I decided that we had enough doom and glom and I chose to focus on the reuse solutions for waste that are out there.

And in my personal life, I look at each day like I look at a table with a puzzle on it. What piece can I put in next to make this picture better? That's how I live my daily life and that's what I teach with my reuse edutainment and events. And just like doing a puzzle, solutions to our problems can be fun too.

A combined passion for problem solving with this puzzle themed STAY VOCAL T-Shirt.

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P.S. I know I've been quiet for a while, but this happens every September. You can read about why I escape to the annual Tiny House Summer Camp here.