Puzzles

Image from Wikipedia

I have decided I have an addictive personality. I'm not addicted to drugs, or alcohol, or anything bad, although I did smoke for a number of years. I'm not addicted to working out, gambling, or shopping. I'm not addicted to cleaning, although my mother is so it's AWESOME when she comes to visit. No, I don't think it's wrong to let her clean. She hums and smiles while she sweeps. Besides, she's the only one who knows where the dust mop is. But, I digress. My addictions are more mundane and probably boring to most people. What are they? Coffee, Diet Coke, Little Man's hugs, the use of the Oxford comma, good food, and puzzles. I am a puzzle-holic.


Image from blog.discoverymagazine.com

I love all sorts of puzzles: jigsaw, cryptograms, word jumbles, anagrams, Sudoku, you name it. Recently, I discovered a Sudoku app for my IPhone. Glee! The result has been that at the expense of other chores or conversation, I spend lots of time on my Sudoku app. Any puzzle will draw my attention like a shiny object. SQUIRREL!

This also translates to really anything I have to figure out or concentrate on to get right. A complex knitting pattern, crochet pattern, needlepoint pattern, embroidery stitches, a new recipe, organizing a schedule or creation of a Gantt chart. I love the focus and concentration these take. It allows me to escape deep into my own brain, my focus, my thoughts. It's alone time while the chaos swirls around me. Truly, when I am in deep concentration I don't even hear what is going on in the same room. It's calming and soothing. I guess that's why I enjoy reading and writing mysteries. Inside the mystery is a place of calmness for me.

I recently read a post from a blog on writing that characters should be given hobbies. These hobbies can better identify the mental function of the character so the readers, especially those familiar with the hobby, can relate to the characters. So, I think, Walter may actually be a puzzle addict. Why else would he be a detective?

What are some other hobbies out there? What do they tell you about the person who has these hobbies? What do your hobbies say about you?