Well… I did it.

Since I was a kid, I have loved word games and puzzles. My grandfather was an avid worker of jigsaw and crossword puzzles (he was also a Columbia PhD and math teacher – principal – school superintendent). I’m certain that’s where it all started. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. My other grandfather was a tool and die maker. One grandmother was a knitter, the other played guitar. In many ways I am a composite of (what I believe are) all the best pieces of my family heritage.

After Christmas, I came across instructions for constructing crosswords and I said to myself: why has it not occurred to me before to do this? I love how on Sundays the Times runs a brief background of who the puzzle constructor is, and how many they’ve published so far. So I determined to learn the tricks to crossword construction. It is both delightfully fun and incredibly tedious. Yes, both of those.

Today I mailed my first one (a Sunday-sized one!) to the Times. I suppose the daily is easier to get in with – after all, there are so many more of those during the year. My next ones will be daily-sized. I debated whether I should wait to say anything to see if it gets picked up, but it occurs to me that it doesn’t really matter if it does or not. I did my part. I have no control over whether they choose to publish it. I hope they do. I think it’s good. But more than that, I’m proud of me for doing it, for stepping out again. Apparently, it was time. Funny…it hasn’t been seven years yet. HA!