We have been keeping an eye on the stats for our crossword account. Each morning some complement of Odhners clicks in as opportunity arises to solve the puzzle. Not everyone every time. Yet as the hundredth day of a continuous streak approached, our kids expressed enthusiasm to ensure a full house to nail it. This is, I remind you, across multiple longitudes and routines, but a plan emerged that worked for everyone.
I did peek.
Not to fill in any consonants for the puzzle, mind you. Or heaven forbid use Google. But to rev my engines. Just for a second. After all we are not talking about the Boston Marathon with a five digit prize. It's just for fun.
When eight kids, two parents and a couple of significant others were poised someone brave clicked screen share and the clock began. Twelve people calling over each other is dicey enough in person, but on zoom it is raucous. Siblings flung answers faster than the scribe could type.
"44 across is ouiji board!"
"1 across is fig!"
The bouncing voices overlapped with laughter and clever puns. I loved it.
"Yes! The circled squares mean yes!" which unlocked other answers. The creators enjoy embedding multiple layers of wit. Like the one where there were a half dozen answers in which ft fell off the bottom of the grid, alluding to the show Six Feet Under.
Ten minutes is what it took. I will hasten to assure you that it was not Sunday. Those beasts take us an hour on a good day. But a modest Monday was ours to claim in a flurry of noise and collaboration.
I appreciate that someone else is keeping track. Otherwise it would be left to my foggy sense of recall. There was an evening when most of us were distracted by jobs and commutes, and Hope noticed that it was not finished. It was almost my bedtime, and way past hers but we logged letters until the final rewarding Congratulations announced that our run was intact.
What can a person achieve in a hundred days? Five score curls of intention, lined up like runes in a grid. Spring cleaning, or puppy obedience training come to mind. Dismantling bad habits, or establishing healthy ones can flourish in such a fertile space.
I marvel at the possibilities.
