Writer's Notebook

Sitting at the table Jeffrey tried to make sense of what lay before him. Over 10 000 pieces. And that, only because he had been very sparing cutting them up. Had he really taken each episode, he could easily have ended with twice that number. Usually, it wouldn't have been a problem. He was a keen puzzler, and the greater the challenge the better. But this one was different. Different, because today, he did not have an overall picture to help him. Why was life so difficult to piece together?

Three days later Jeffrey's frustration was greater than ever. It wasn't that he found it hard to connect the various pieces together. On the contrary, there seemed to be a plethora of possible combinations. But once he had put several different pieces together, he realised the emerging picture just didn't make sense.

It was his grandson who provided him with the solution. Jeffrey had accompanied Jay to the weekly soccer practise. There was a boy Jeffrey had never seen before. He was quick and had a pretty strong boot, but seemed to lack some of the basic techniques. On his way home he questioned Jay who couldn't hide his disappointment.

"He's useless. He thinks he's the greatest player in the team and some things he really can do better than most of us. But he just kicks the ball anywhere and we never know what he's going to do. And when the ball goes miles away, he throws up his arms in delight as if that was what he wanted to do all along. With him in your team it's like playing with no plan."

It wasn't until he sat down once again to his puzzle that the full significance of those words hit home to Jeffey. Wasn't that exactly what he had been doing all his life. Muddling along, kicking the ball of life anywhere, and trying to make do with whatever resulted from his efforts. No wonder, he was failing so abysmally to make sense of it all. Something was going to have to change.