Jigsaw Puzzles

If asked a few years back where I would see myself today, I am pretty sure my answer wouldn’t have been exactly accurate. I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that two years in the Peace Corps in Armenia would lead to selling Aboriginal jigsaw puzzles at the local market in one of the suburbs of Sydney. Funny where life takes you…as it is, I have honed my skills in putting puzzles together (having done a dozen or so for displays), and I have also refined my skills in marketing and sales.

Ironically, or maybe appropriately, I have always loved puzzles and have always been interested, although not very knowledgeable in the aboriginal culture. It is pretty much the Australian equivalent of Native Americans, another interest of mine. Working at the local markets has allowed me to build a community of friends and acquaintances, and also to be more of a local than a tourist, which is certainly the best way to travel. I get the opportunity to talk to locals and tourists alike, and to sell them a product that I actually believe in—one that is both aesthetically pleasing and educational. Kids should be doing more puzzles and less video games, for sure.

I don’t see a sustainable future for myself in the jigsaw market, but I do see a potential future for myself in Australia. The beaches are beautiful and close by, which is fantastic, but that is not the reason. I love being a stand-in beach bum, but what really impresses me about Australia are the social structures, medical care, environmental consciousness of both citizens and government, and the slightly slower pace of life. In many ways, Australia and the US are very similar, but in these crucial areas, Australia seems to excel.

Most Australians own cars, but use public transport or walk most places instead of driving. Water conservation is forefront on everyone’s mind, recycling bins are everywhere, for all kinds of materials, and the general populace seems to think about what their individual impact is. Maybe this is because the radio, television and local media promote this type of thought, or maybe it is because Australia is not blessed with the wealth of natural timber and water resources that the US is, but either way, their action is admirable.

My travels repeatedly emphasize how fortunate we are as Americans, and how greatly we take that for granted. The land of plenty has us just wanting more. When do we decide we have enough? The US is the easiest place to shop, to drive, to buy and to consume. Everything is more packaged, more processed, quicker and more convenient than anywhere else I have been. (yes, Armenia is an obvious one, but London, Sydney, Paris, and Prague maybe aren’t) Everything is also noticeably cheaper—from food to gasoline to clothing, we pay less than the rest of the world—but it seems to me that at some point we will have to make up the difference and then some.

I just finished a fantastic book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver (who happens to be my favorite author and has only increased her favor with this book). I highly recommend the book to anyone looking for some answers to how to solve our global impacts and dependencies and start to be local, self-sustaining and environmentally conscious, and eat great to boot! This book only emphasizes the resolutions I have made after travel and peace corps life. It is time for me to live simply, deliberately and wholesomely—not because it is trendy, or because I’m trying to make a political statement, or because I’m a hippie tree-hugger (although I might be)—it is time because it is the right thing to do for my health and my well-being and for that of my community, both local and global.