On the Fifth Day of Christmas, let’s forget about the five golden rings.  Instead, why not return to the age-old tradition of attacking the crossword puzzle in the daily newspaper?

From George Elliott:  Crossword puzzles are said to be the most popular and widespread word game in the world yet have a short history. The first crosswords appeared in England during the 19th century. They were of an elementary kind, apparently derived from the word square, a group of words arranged so the letters read alike vertically and horizontally and printed in children’s puzzle books and various periodicals. In the United States, however, the puzzle developed into a serious adult pastime.

The first known published crossword puzzle was created by a journalist named Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, and he is usually credited as the inventor of the popular word game. December 21, 1913 was the date and it appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World. Wynne’s puzzle(see below) differed from today’s crosswords in that it was diamond shaped and contained no internal black squares. During the early 1920’s other newspapers picked up the newly discovered pastime and within decade crossword puzzles were featured in almost all  American newspapers. It was in this period crosswords began to assume their familiar form. Ten years after its rebirth in the States it crossed the Atlantic and re-conquered Europe.

The gold standard, according to my esteemed “word ologists” is the New York Times crossword puzzle.  I have two friends who religiously do the NYT crossword EVERY day!

Per S. Kabir:  Plenty of researchers have discovered the positive effects that crossword puzzles can have on one’s brain if played regularly. Regularly doesn’t necessarily mean every day — once a week is fine. Among these researchers is Ann Lukits, who wrote “Puzzles Boost Verbal Skills, Cut Dementia Risk” for the Wall Street Journal. She firmly believes that solving crosswords on a regular basis can “improve memory and brain function in older adults.” Such activities can also “improve mental functions in patients with brain damage or early dementia.”

There was a period, when I traveled on business, that the crossword puzzle became a regular companion.  I think it is time to start once again. I have dear friends who attack the BYT before they do anything else!  Who knows, you might learn some new words.  How about you?

One of the most satisfying activities I love is writing a daily email when I am on the road.  It started back in the 1990s, when I was having a discussion with my personal physician.  When I told him that I crossed the Berlin Wall into East Berlin at Checkpoint twice in 1971, he suggested that I document the experience and share it with friends.

That was the first of many, I repeat, many emails and stories I have shared.  So, on this Fourth Day, I encourage each of you to start a diary or journal.  You may decide to keep it to yourself or share it with your children or grandchildren.   I also track my exercise, and major milestones.

When my son was just a little boy, we bought a “fill in the spaces” diary for my Mom.  This would enable all of us to learn some things about her we would otherwise never know.  Among other things, we found out her favorite color was blue (same as me), and her first trip away from home was on a train (rail travel, which I also love).

You can keep it simple, and just write emails to yourself and others.  Or you can buy journal of blank pages and write to your heart’s content.  If you should decide to share some of your stories, I would be pleased to read them.

But mostly, you will create a living story of your life, one that your loved ones will really appreciate.

I promise this year will be better than last year, in just about every way.

“Quarantine has me realizing why Lexi gets so excited about something moving outside and going for walks and car rides.  I just barked at a squirrel”  -Me, but I changed the words to fit my little Lexi.

“Travel expands the mind and fills the gap” – Sheda Savage

“Time flies.  It is up to you to be the navigator” – Robert Orben

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars—on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places. (from Desert Places by Robert Frost)

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”— Anais Nin

“Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul.” — Unknown”This is a day that will live in infamy. The very people who believe they are protecting our democracy have succeeded in destroying it.” – Marcia Fudge, US Rep.

“The work of putting America back together, of truly repairing what is broken, isn’t the work of any individual politician or political party. It’s up to each of us to do our part. To reach out. To listen. And to hold tight to the truth and values that have always led this country forward. It will be an uncomfortable, sometimes painful process. But if we enter into it with an honest and unwavering love of our country, then maybe we can finally start to heal.” – Michelle Obama

“As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than your destination” – Cecily von Ziegesar

The new dawn blooms as we free it

For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it

If only we’re brave enough to be itAmanda Gorman
“Leave behind your sorrows Let this day be the last Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine And all this darkness past Big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams Meet me in a land of hope and dreams” – Bruce Springsteen

“The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence, what the science is … It is somewhat of a liberating feeling.” – Dr. Anthony Fauci

“Whether you’re going 50 miles from your home or 5,000 miles from your home, it’s about discovering something new” – Jessica Nabongo (who has visited every country in the world)

“Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!” – Winston Churchill

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”— Anais Nin

“Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul.” — Unknown“You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, adventure fell in love with lost.” — Mary Oliver

We are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time – Rush, Dreamline

And by turning our attention to the physical landscape that sustains and connects us, we can nourish “topophilia,” a sense of attachment and love for place. You’ll never get that from waiting for a satellite to tell you how to find a shortcut. —  M.R. O’Connor, Journalist, Author
The morning wind spreads its fresh smell. We must get up and take that in, that wind that lets us live.  Breathe before it’s gone. — Rumi

And this pearl:  “I liken making pinot noir to waking up a woman at three in the morning. You never quite know what you’re going to get.” – Luke Smith (a smart, insightful man who likes to live dangerously).
“(Hope is) more powerful than hatred and peace more powerful than war.”  – Pope Francis

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

​“Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”– Paul Brandt
“I don’t know the question, but travel is definitely the answer.” – Unknown
​“Adventure should be part of everyone’s life. It is the whole difference between being fully alive and just existing.” – Holly Morris

“Of all the books in all the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.” – Unknown

OK, see you next quarter.  Send me your favorites.