Hi All, I’ve Missed You!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous

Hey everyone! Thought I’d drop in to tell you all that I’m still alive. 🙂 You’ve probably forgotten all about me, but I’m still here!

Things are still crazy around here, and I have barely done any puzzling at all in more than a year, but I haven’t given up completely, just took a much needed mental health break for a bit. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to tell you that I suffer from severe depression and anxiety, and it has been overwhelming; especially with the worldwide panorama…panatella…panamiga…panini…pandemic…plague – whatever you want to call it. To be honest, the last couple of years have been extremely difficult for me and I needed to take time for myself to process everything.

I’m still struggling, but doing my best – and that’s really all I can do.

Hubby is well and whole and fortunately/unfortunately working from home more often than not. I’m incredibly grateful that he has that opportunity and is able to stay safer at home – but also a little miffed that our house is so small that the only place he has to work is on top of my puzzle board. I started working on a puzzle a few months ago (one of those 500 piece puzzles that is really 10-12 smaller puzzles that you assemble individually), but wandered away from it and haven’t been able to go back. I’m trying to work out a way to get back to puzzling, because to be honest I’ve basically been in bed for the last year and I need to try to get myself out of this hole I’ve dug myself into.

My boys are both healthy and well, and I’m extremely grateful for that – more than I can possibly say. My daughter had a terrible car crash earlier this year and seriously broke/injured her leg. I roused myself out of bed and cared for her at her home for a couple of months until she was able to be up and around on her own. She had multiple surgeries and is still healing and dealing with the trauma and injury. But she is alive and otherwise healthy and we are grateful beyond measure.

I’m still on multiple pain meds 24/7, which I need to function, and they are part of the reason the depression became overwhelming. Once my heart condition made itself known I was no longer able to take my medications for depression – when choosing between happiness and a heartbeat I chose the latter. 😉 But then I lost my mother, Covid happened, my husband was hospitalized, and it was just too much for me to bear. I always tried to keep this blog lighthearted and fun, and it seemed that I was no longer able to do that. I had to take care of myself first and foremost, and that’s why I took a break from puzzling and blogging.

But I’m trying to get myself back now. I won’t be posting daily again for a while probably, but I won’t be gone for months at a time either. I have to figure out this new format that WordPress has for posting (I DO NOT LIKE IT AT ALL!), so my posts will probably look different until I figure it all out. Plus I still have to figure out how puzzling is going to work with hubby hogging my space! Please have patience with me if you can.

You’ve all become friends that past several years since I started this blog, and I truly missed talking to you all every day through my posts and the comments. I hope I haven’t been gone too long and that some of you are still hanging around. Please let me know how you are, I’d love to hear from you! 💗

*I’m adding a link to a previous post I wrote about mental health. I just re-read it, and I think I did a pretty good job talking about how we need to be more open and talk about our struggles. No Puzzling In Progress

38 thoughts on “Hi All, I’ve Missed You!”

  1. Patricia (Pat) Lambert

    All this time I have been wondering and worrying about you, just like your many many other puzzle friends. Glad to hear all your family survived Covid; that was another thing I worried about when your husband got sick. Every day, life is like something being turned on a lathe; how worrying or sad is it, but nevertheless it is being created around you, with you in the middle, and every second’s edifice is so fascinating. Try to think of it like that. And of course it could also be a puzzle metaphor. We did funny alphabet Ravensburger Colin Thompson puzzles all last winter during Covid, and then put out the next puzzle and looked at the pieces and said: Nope; and have been trying since then to get back into one. They were so hard to get — we ordered them from England and I’m ashamed to tell you how much money we spent on postage. One got lost in the mail for six months and I ordered a duplicate, and then the original showed up. It’s quite a rare one – a Christmas themed Thompson. Maybe you would like one of them? They are 1000 pieces and show little bits of his interesting life – he’s in Australia now and is probably elderly. Anyhow, one step at a time. Get out of bed and go find a turning leaf, then go back to bed… or something like that. Love, Pat I only have e-mail, none of that other stuff and no website. I’m always here.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thank you Pat, how very sweet of you! I hope you and your family got through Covid as well.

      I’d love to purchase the Thompson from you! You can send me your email or info using the Contact Me page on the site, it’s completely private. I look forward to hearing from you.

      p.s. don’t be ashamed of spending $ on yourselves, I never worry about buying or shipping puzzles. I don’t spend money on myself for anything else, really, so if they make me happy there’s nothing to feel bad about at all! 🙂

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  2. Anonymous

    Stacey! My heart is so full of happiness to see your post and also so full of pride that you are so open about your mental health struggles. As you know, mental health struggles are nothing to be ashamed of and hit very close to home for me with my sister and her extreme issues as well.

    I am thrilled to get any part of you back on the blog so I will try to be extremely patient as you find your way back to us.

    Is there a way that you could set up a smaller puzzle area in one cprner of your livong room or better yet…put a amall desk there and tell your hubby that is his new office! LOL

    Doing a happy dance — Stacey is back…Stacey is back!

    Love you my friend!!!!
    Penny

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. My living room, isn’t big enough. When I said my house was small I wasn’t kidding. Almost no room at all, unless we get rid of the couch. LOL

      And thanks my friend. You’ve helped me so much get through this past year, if we hadn’t been texting and keeping in touch I don’t know if I’d have come back to the blog at all.

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. I’m so glad to hear from you, and that even if all things are not exactly good, you and your family are still all there! I have thought about you many times during the past year. As for me, things are much as usual. I still puzzle a lot, perhaps a bit less lately. Things are getting back to something like normal, and I’ve already been to several games in Dortmund. Much love to all of you from Nicola

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. M N

    I can’t tell you how excited I was to get an email notification that you posted! The last post I remember seeing was that your husband was hospitalized. I kept checking your blog, and then finally signed up to be notified if you posted. I’m glad he’s well, but am sorry to hear about your problems. This has been a hard year and a half, especially for those of us who already struggle. The last time I worked a puzzle was in May or June. Hopefully, we will both find a way back to our puzzles. Thank you for posting!

    Liked by 2 people

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  5. Sandra Adams

    It is really great to hear from you! I am glad your husband is well and your daughter is recovering and now you are coming back too!!!

    I joined the puzzle subscription from Artifact Puzzles last Chnoristmas and have been enjoying it. Most of the puzzle packs have 2 puzzles and you create a wish list of ones you prefer to receive. In addition to the annual/semi-annual subscription rate, it costs $10 to ship each pack. I mentally figure that’s $5/puzzle. Sometimes, I finish the pair in a week and other times it takes me a lot longer — depends upon what else is going on and how early the sun sets. This first year was my Christmas present from my husband and I have really enjoyed it. It turns out their factory is my town: Fremont, California! On a few occasions, I stopped by for a pack of puzzles or a replacement piece when a piece was damaged in a the puzzle. Once, they actually re-designed the piece and the adjacent piece to eliminate the thin spot where it was broken. They promise I can tour the factory when Covid is no longer frightening.

    Take care of yourself! There is no pressure to jump back into regular posts, whenever and whatever you are up for will be loved and appreciated.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thanks Sandra, it’s good to be back and hearing from everyone. And if Artifact is in your hometown I think we need to be friends! When the plague is over I could come visit and we could tour the factory, buy puzzles, and we could camp out at a coffee shop doing puzzles too! LOL

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. Marleen

    Welcome back and thanks for sharing your story. Sad to hear about your struggles, but so good that you are hanging in there. A while ago I did check to see if there were any posts when I began to notice the mail alerts had dried up. I can say I have missed you too.

    Hope you will find a good way to get back into puzzling and can find some space. Maybe a portable puzzle folder? I have limited space as well and use a puzzle mat to get it out of the way when I am not working on it. And for larger puzzles I have a piece of board that is just a bit bigger than my table and folds in half (put together with strong tape) to extend the surface I can work on.

    But first and foremost I wish you will find some peace and calm of mind. I can relate to what it takes to struggle with your mental health. And these times don’t make it any easier.

    Whatever you do don’t feel obliged to post regularly, it’s not like we are paying customers 😉
    Maybe you can revisit some of your past favourites too.

    Take care!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks Marleen, it’s good to hear from you too! I’ve been re-reading my old posts (starting at the beginning) to sort of reacquaint myself with the blog again, and actually getting that old feeling again to really want to get back to my puzzle board.

      And honestly, I’m a little awed at myself that I completed that giant 40,000 piece puzzle – what was I thinking?! I can’t believe I did that!

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. Tayo G

    Oh my Stacey I’m so so glad you are ok i have missed you . I can’t count the number of times I have checked your blog to see if you posted anything even just a hi. I’m so happy I checked today and here you are.
    I was so worried about you. I wanted to ask my brother to file a missing persons report or something 🙂
    Glad your husband and sons are fine as well.
    Sorry about your daughters accident. Wishing her a full recovery.
    Wishing you happier days ahead.
    No pressures to post regularly I think we are all so glad you and your family are ok and well.

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. Tayo G

        Yes I am still enjoying my puzzles❤❤
        Thanks again for your kind offer. He has not been able to travel because of everything that has been going on. But I will let you know anytime he plans a trip.
        Thanks again.

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Liana

    So nice to see you back. I have definitely been thinking about you this past year and was hoping you were okay. Very smart to recognize that you needed to take a break and look after your mental health.

    Liked by 2 people

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  13. Oh! You’re back! I’ve been worried about you and your family for the past year, wondering how you were faring. Sorry to hear about your mother and your struggles. Glad to hear the husband and kids are doing as well as can be expected. Great to have you back on the blogosphere!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. Right now I’m in the middle of Mickey (aka Fantasia). You’re right, they really should have just called this one “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and be done with it 😉 This is my second last section with only Bambi to go. I was hoping to get it done before Christmas, but with the rate Mickey is going, I really don’t know if I’ll make it!
    Stay safe!

    Liked by 1 person

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