Guest Blogger Anna ~ Scrabble Addict.

I have become a Scrabble addict. My game of choice is Scrabble online. I can just sit down, play a few words, and then go on about my business. I love it. I’m terrible at it, but I love it.

I am unceasingly amazed at my capacity to learn new skills and cultivate new interests. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? The truth is I used to hate Scrabble, as well as crossword puzzles. About two years ago, a friend forced me to work a crossword puzzle with her, and that’s when my obsession began. I guess you could call it my mid-life crisis. I found myself buying those books that are filled with only crossword puzzles and working on them at nearly every spare moment. For an entire summer, a crossword, a cigarette, and a cup of ice from Sonic were my lunchtime requirements during the work week. All the stress would just fall away. I somehow managed to get through the weekend without that midday repast…..most of the time. My family didn’t know I smoked, so I had to sneak. I wonder what the other grocery store patrons thought about me. And yes, I quit smoking.

I don’t know why these two word games are so relaxing for me. It’s as though my brain is working in a completely different mode than normal. I can literally lose time playing Scrabble online. I think to myself, “I’m only going to play a few words,” then I look up and an hour has gone by. My four year old daughter has gone strangely silent, so I am forced to investigate her possible mischievousness. If I ever become employed again, how will I adjust? I think I might just have to go back to the lunch hour crossword puzzles…or carry a laptop to play Scrabble online. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. I’ll leave out the cigarette.