I don’t know what to make of this. My current streak in Wordle is 118 days. My streak started on June 22. That was the night I saw Reckless Kelly at Gruene Hall. I went by myself. Not something I normally do. I like company. But it was a good show. And I enjoyed being able to come and go as I pleased. I guess solitude is one of those things, like riding a bike, that you just never forget how to do. As a child I was always able to entertain myself. Good habit to have as an adult.

But back to Wordle. I resisted the game for the longest time. Then once I started, it hooked me. I now find myself thinking in two letter combinations, vowel sequences, letter frequency. There’s a lot of guesswork to be sure, but there’s a predictability to it as well. One thing often leads to another and once you have the vowels locked down probabilities start to narrow. And when the word finally reveals itself, it feels so obvious, and is usually simple, easy to know.

I now better understand why my late wife liked to do picture puzzles, especially big ones. The issue was complex but could be solved with the application of an approach. Find the edge, group the colors, be steady, work the problem. There would be chaos and nothing, then mental effort, and finally the revelation of a solution. Satisfaction soon followed. I’m glad I honored her hobby with the gift of puzzles. My only regret is that I missed the opportunity to ask her to share her process with me. I might have learned something that would have stood me in good stead, sooner rather than later.