Jumbled

I’m back into word finds.

As my semester ends, my brain is suddenly free to wander where it will. And while I keep it busy with books and writing and some part-time work, my hand is still drifting to my phone more times than makes me comfortable. I need something mindless, easy, and comfortable.

Word finds. I have always loved word finds. And while crossword puzzles entertain me, they are too cerebral, and only one step away from the writing and thinking process, something I try to avoid too much of in the summer. Crosswords are all about definitions, etymology, derivation, tense.

Nope. Not this time.

I didn’t walk into the bookstore with much hope. Word finds are incredibly antiquated, aren’t they? Am I the only human being on earth who doesn’t play games on her phone? Who likes to use a sharpened pencil?

But I moved forward undaunted, until I drifted through the magazine section, turned the corner, when suddenly…

Whoa, momma. Mother lode! So there are others out there like me! Puzzle books galore, dozens of them- large print, small print, crosswords, word finds, jumbles, sudoku, combination books. I found a book with the perfect font size and themed puzzles, paid my $3.99, and walked out happy.

So now when I want to give my brain a break, I’ll do a puzzle for a few minutes. Instead of walking into the kitchen for some pretzels during a commercial, I’ll find a few words instead. When I sit outside to enjoy the sun, I’ll enjoy a puzzle. I will rip one out and put it into my work folder, and when a have a minute of quiet at work, I’ll open the folder and surreptitiously find a word or two.

It calms my mind, and it is so satisfying. Choosing a themed puzzle. Settling into my comfy chair, or onto the patio. Grabbing a pencil, sharpening it in the pencil sharpener. Finding all of the left-to-right horizontal words first. Leaving the puzzle for a few minutes or a few hours, knowing I can pick up right where I left off, with no fuss or bother.

So if you’re still looking for a Mother’s Day present, get one for mom for Mother’s Day, wrapped around a bottle of wine, or chocolates, or a candle. Because we’re all a bunch of old dorks at heart.

You’ll be her hero.