The Thing You Never knew You Needed

By now anyone who actually knows me and even some of you who just read me, knows that I am anti more stuff. I accumulated more than enough in my first half and now don’t want to spend my time managing my stuff in my last half. The more I can simplify the less I have to dust. The more I can purge the clearer my world feels. Don’t get me wrong, I still have way too much stuff. I hold on to things that are in great shape, waiting for the right person to give them too or the best occasion to reuse them.

Case in point is my puzzle collection. I am good at sharing puzzles, so if you want to borrow one please stop by. My friend Jan and I both love puzzles and do trade back and forth.

Even though I am anti stuff that does not mean I am not in the market for some great tool or cool gadget, if it is something I will actually use. Today Jan came by with a birthday gift for me that was the twin of one she bought for herself. Jan is a world class shopper and early adaptor, finding the coolest and newest gadgets.

Jan prefaced the gift by saying this was the greatest thing she didn’t know she needed. I opened the gift bag and pulled out “the puzzle scoop.” It’s flat magnifier with a handle. The best part about it is that it lights up.

Jan said she was excited about it for the ability to scoop up combos of pieces she had already connected and moving them to the right place to connect them to the larger puzzle. Turned out that the bonus of the lit up magnifier was the real deal function of this tool.

This excited me to no end. I often am trying to find the right piece based on color matching, but if I don’t have perfect lighting I am thwarted. Now I will have light and magnification, Cha-Ching, Ching!

Thank you Jan for always spreading the love of just the right gadget! See, why do I ever need to shop ever again, as long as Jan is my friend?