This year, I started doing online puzzles each day. No, not crosswords. Been there, done that, still do them on occasion. Instead, I do a series of games on the LA Times website (listed in the order performed): Word Search, Jigsaw, (mini) Sudoku and Wordflower. I live for Wordflower. And what I have discovered is how magically my brain will work if I’ll just get out of the way.
This is especially true with Word Search. I can think of the word I want to find and my brain finds it. If I get out of the way. And I can feel it when I am meddling. Overthinking, second-guessing. Which starts to breed frustration. All of which can be palpable. But when I stop with that BS, the words appear. The stress and frustration lift, and my brain can just do its thing. This puzzle takes about 2-3 minutes.
Jigsaw is a quick, easy, satisfying hit with the click of the pieces fitting together. You watch as the pieces “scatter” so you can immediately reach the edges and start building. Takes about 1.5-2 mins.
I stick with mini Sudoku because it’s fast and that makes it more satisfying. This game is all about logic and being thorough with the process. If you’re like me and always avoided Sudoku, try the mini version. 2 mins.
Then I move on to Wordflower. Cherry on the sundae. Oh, so satisfying. I try to get the “full flower” word by using all the letters on the first go…but that doesn’t always happen. Which is fine. I will argue that there are some words included that are total BS and other words that are real words used today that are excluded because the person in charge is daft. ~5 mins, depending on the word count.
Now, I do love crosswords. They are fun, but time consuming. These puzzles I can blast out in only a few minutes each, getting them all done in about 10-15 minutes. And we know how I love anything low-commitment.
The reason why this is the best thing I’ve ever done (and not my old crossword habit) is because it has allowed me to feel how my brain is working — not thinking, but solving. I can “hear” it give me the answer, and I’m learning how to listen to that better. It’s really fun. And weird. And super cool.
Now, the “me” that needs to get out of the way here is my ego. It’s always interesting to see where the ego shows up wanting to take charge and boss everything around. And it’s kind of fun to tell the ego to STFU every now and then. Because that’s what really gets in our way most of the time…and we can be slow to realize that.
Yes, our ego wants to protect us. But, you know what? It really just wants to protect itself. Stay in charge. Rule the roost. And that’s not always to our benefit.
The ego needs to learn how to play better with others, like our logic, our intelligence, our intuition. Which really are the grown-ups in the room. Egos? They’re like toddlers or teenagers — always wanting their way and thinking they know everything. When we are able to show the ego it’s safe to take a backseat, everything flows a little easier. Even something as silly as a puzzle…or four.
Let me know if you are a puzzle-doer and if it’s the best thing you’ve ever done. Do you “feel” your brain working when you do them? Has it changed the way you engage with problem-solving? Has your ego learned to quiet the eff down? I’d love to know.
P.S. — After I started writing this, I did a couple of crosswords, just for you-know-whats and giggles. To my shock and amazement, I did them super fast, only needing the “across” to get ‘em done. Including the Sunday puzzle. Not like I’ve suddenly become a genius, but because I’ve learned to get out of my brain’s way and let it do its job. Not overthinking, not second-guessing, just relaxing into it and trusting what’s in my noggin…and reminding my ego to quiet the eff down while the adults in the room play. xo
This is a Free-For-All Friday post, so feel free to share it! xo
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