Is it a time for comfortable habits or an opportunity to push some boundaries? Or better yet, a blending of both!
It happened by accident. I popped into the newsagent to buy my usual crossword magazine. It wasn’t there, seemingly replaced by a different brand. I struggled. Should I buy it? I knew there would be complications.
The times dictated I would need something.
I continued to struggle. It’s a Kiwi brand and there are cultural differences. More significantly, it’s on a different level. For example, “Denouement”. What?!
That’s the fanciest word for “end” I’ve yet encountered.
As you can imagine, I was over the moon to find the beloved brand back on the shelf next time I popped in to refresh my lottery tickets. I’ve been working on their crosswords for years. We are at one. I’m as likely to successfully complete a puzzle as I am to fall at the last two words. I regularly, inevitably, step away feeling reassured.
Have I recycled the interloper? No.
I’m struggling on because there’s the usual good reason to stick with it; I’m learning lots.
But there’s a downside. It’s not fun. Even more than that, it’s demoralising, and that’s the last thing any of us need at this time.
The solution was easy. Mix it up. A bit of one. A bit of the other.
And with that solution, demoral has turned smug.
And I don’t care that “demoral” isn’t a word!
Cherrie Zell 