SOL22 Number or Word People

I get that today 2-22-22 is a big day for "numbers people."

This post, however, is about me and I am a "word person."

10 years ago, I would log on, still wrapped in my robe, and play Scrabble with a few friends as I sipped my early morning coffee. If I am totally honest, my Scrabble obsession usually preceded my email check. It was such an amazing way to be a part of special people I did not see regularly, but who shared my obsession with words. It was an amazing way to start each day.

Then, came a relationship with Sudoku, first in the daily newspaper and then through an App. It has numbers in it, but it really is a puzzle. Playing it somehow made me feel closer to my brother who, back in the day, was a master at Sudoku strategies,  Still, it's a solitary obsession even though it is mind stimulating! I still "do" Sudoku but it is just me "beating" a random puzzle. 

I spent too much time with Wordscapes during the early days of lockdown.  Like Sudoku, it was a lonely obsession and I was actually pleased when I realized the puzzles had begun to repeat themselves causing me to stop.  

And then on social media, people started to post about Wordle.  "A puzzle for me, a certified Orton Gillingham teacher who know phonics and word structure," I thought to myself.  I began a daily Wordle in the fall and smile whenever I beat one of my word-smart-nemesis-friends, such as Erin, who seems to have a way with words!  Today, I used 3 attempts to guess the word and feel pretty good about myself!  I half expect Erin will get it in 2 attempts.....sigh.

  

#sol22 February 8 These Glasses

These are the glasses I wear 

To avoid cars on the road,

To respect traffic signals,

To enjoy words in my book,

To floss every crevice of every tooth,

To find earrings on the floor,

To navigate slushy holes,

To appreciate blood-orange sunrises,

To savor lemony sunsets

To fully embrace life.

These are the glasses I should have

Replaced long ago!

 

#sol22 February 1 Hate-Love Relationships

 

I know many people head to the stores to stock up when a snow day is predicted; however, I  typically avoid (hate) those snow-induced-mass-shopping trips.  At the end of a busy week, my refrigerator was bare; yet, the frenzied crowd at the local Shop Rite was an assurance of long lines and harried shoppers.

So, after last weekend's "big snow" event, after the roads were cleared, I headed to the store.  It was still cold, about 8 degrees, and the wind chill cut right through me as I cleared the ice from the car.  While the sun was certainly bright, the cold was a paramount thought as I climbed into the car.  I must admit thoughts of hating snow and wanting Florida ran through my mind; however, at that moment, my number one need was a bit of food. 

The wind was blowing the loose snow around as I slipped  into the street and into what was still a respectable build-up of ice on the roads. "I'm done with winter, snow, and ice," I thought to myself even though the winter had admittedly been pretty mild up to this point. 

Less than a mile from my house, however, my negative thoughts about the snow and cold and shoveling hassles were replaced with smiles as the hills, even the little ones, were alive with clearly joyful children (and parents) enjoying the age old beauty of sliding on the snow.  Thoughts of my own trips down the hills as a child and memories of watching my own children explore the snow made me smile, in spite of the cold. Thoughts of snow days, pajama filled mornings, snow crusted mittens and hot chocolate filled cups flooded my mind.

A recent conversation replayed in my head as I thought of my own hate-love relationship with snow.  "You can't love and hate something," he said with the confidence of a clearly literal preschooler.  I guess that is true at 4 years old; yet, at this stage of life, I really do have a hate-love relationship with the snow and bitter cold!