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Working the mind

August 17, 2022 11:07 am

Source: Clipartpanda

No puzzles here. I don’t do wordle or crossword or picture puzzles or any of those brain teasers old people are supposed to do to keep their mind active.

My version of brain activity is figuring out which cat is barfing where, also known as “don’t step on the hairball.” Or the current location of the beloved husband also known as “where the heck did he go now?”. I threaten to put a GPS on him so I can track him.

I also do recall games (I call them the litanies) like trying to recall six barista names from my local Starbucks (quite the challenge as the players change regularly and the names are…ummm…unusual) or the names of the dogs in my neighborhood. This gets tricky because people use obscure names for their kids and pets. You can’t yell out “Jim” or “Bob” and assume there is one. You would have better luck with Brayden or Jared or Toby (this is a popular dog name right now).

Another popular mind game for me is calculate the sale price. You see a percentage off sign and calculate the cost in your head. This is a lost art. Most people resort to their phone for the math. Not me. If it’s a shoe sale, I can do it in a nanosecond (years of experience at work here!).

As for games, I’ve always been a social player. I do it to chat with friends, not to win (although I can get competitive). I’ve had my third Mahjongg session. It’s fun and work. I’m calling it a brain exercise.

Blogging keeps my mind active too. Working to sanitize my essays so no feelings are hurt is a challenge. I need an anonymous blog for the good stuff. Wrestling with spellcheck and grammar check is a workout as taxing as a gym workout.

I don’t really know if any of this stuff matters. It seems like some people keep their act together and some people get wonky when they age all without rhyme or reason. It’s different strokes for different folks. How do you keep your brain active?

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Posted by Kate Crimmins

Categories: Aging Gracefully, Humor

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88 Responses to “Working the mind”

  1. I got on the New York Times’ Wordle train, but I never get too long of a winning streak so I don’t post my results like most people do on social media or on the NYT’s Wordle site. When you do Wordle there is the NYT’s Spelling Bee right beneath Wordle, so I do that as well. I also do “Word Wipe” once a day which I really like and three Klondike Solitaire games … the Solitaire I think of as a sorbet between boring stuff I have to do at work. It all keeps your mind sharp, as does writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Linda Schaub on August 20, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    1. That’s a lot of words! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 20, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      1. Yes. Trying to stay sharp as a tack. 🙂 My mom liked the Word Search puzzles. I’ve tried them online and it’s too difficult to do them that way – I would prefer using paper and pencil. She got them every month, so there are several books of them she never got to – I still keep them for my “golden years” and she also was an avid jigsaw puzzle enthusiast – something else for my retirement phase of my life.

        Liked by 1 person

        By Linda Schaub on August 20, 2022 at 8:53 pm

  2. I try to keep my mind active by learning new stuff as often as I can stand it. It’s surprisingly invigorating!

    Liked by 1 person

    By quiteayarnblog on August 20, 2022 at 3:24 am

    1. Yes but it has to be stuff I’m interested in. When I started doing ancestry research I was surprised at how invigorating it was. I also learned a lot of computer techniques in learning how to search people.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 20, 2022 at 7:56 am

  3. I don’t typically get too involved with daily games or puzzles, but I did get sucked into Wordle, and I must admit I really enjoy it. But I think our level of brain functioning and cognitive health is probably a mixture of good fortune and lifestyle. I think being active in life’s general challenges helps us towards the goal of delaying decline, and then I think there’s just a point in our aging when we maybe can’t hold back the tide! I do think having pets is good for us in every possible way! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    By Debra on August 18, 2022 at 7:43 pm

    1. Pets, definitely. Like you being generally active is probably the best thing you can do until time takes it’s toll!

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 7:46 pm

  4. For the longest I didn’t even know what Wordle was. I don’t do games either. Just remembering where I put things and what I am going to do next is a challenge some days. But I confess I make a game of trying to remember trivial things – names of movies, distant relatives, news tidbits, that I am not as young as I used to be, names of flowers, names of actors, etc. – all in my head. I like the way you think.

    Liked by 1 person

    By The Coastal Crone on August 18, 2022 at 5:21 pm

    1. We all pick our own challenges!

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 7:47 pm

  5. My husband and I do Wordle in the morning. I think it’s part luck (when my husband beats me) and part brain work (when I beat him). I think writing also is good for keeping the mind limber.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com on August 18, 2022 at 5:15 pm

    1. I think writing has probably done the most for me!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 7:47 pm

  6. Haha! I love this so much. I spend a good amount of time playing “Clue,” also known as “Where’s the Husband?” Alright, there’s a lone drill on the deck with no visible signs of construction. Hmm, the possibilities are endless. We could probably do an entire Podcast discussing this.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Life With The Top Down on August 18, 2022 at 8:48 am

    1. Mr. Mustard on the deck with the drill!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 9:47 am

      1. Hahaha! Exactly…I’m glad I’m not alone

        Liked by 1 person

        By Life With The Top Down on August 18, 2022 at 9:53 am

  7. I’m awful and names and faces. Just too hard. I try to guess what the lottery numbers will be. I haven’t guessed correctly yet, but one day…

    Liked by 1 person

    By pollymorse on August 18, 2022 at 5:21 am

    1. I’m starting to lose facial recognition ability. Everyone is starting to look the same especially old people! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 8:22 am

  8. My brain has been overactive to keep up with my daughter. I plan to let it molder for a few days now that she has gone back to Denmark.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Anne Mehrling on August 18, 2022 at 1:02 am

    1. I wondered if she was still with you. It was a blessing to have her with you for so long.

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 8:23 am

      1. She accomplished more than anyone else could have. Lise looked at every pile of papers and helped me through things like life insurance, magazine subscriptions, car insurance claims, medical bills, and making my will. What a blessing she is!

        Liked by 1 person

        By Anne Mehrling on August 18, 2022 at 11:01 am

        1. I need a Lise!

          Like

          By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 11:41 am

          1. I wish I could loan her out.

            Liked by 1 person

            By Anne Mehrling on August 18, 2022 at 1:49 pm

            1. Me too. I’m first on the list.

              Like

              By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 4:30 pm

              1. Yes, you are at the top of the list, Kate.

                Liked by 1 person

                By Anne Mehrling on August 18, 2022 at 5:00 pm

                1. ❤️

                  Like

                  By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 7:47 pm

  9. Mah jong seems like a very difficult game to play well. I do Wordle and I was doing Quordle and Octordle and I do the one with phrases and Artle with art history. I like ipad games. And I used to love to do sudoku. I grew up in a house of games, and I still like them, but the Gardener doesn’t like to play very often.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Luanne on August 17, 2022 at 10:11 pm

    1. I grew up as an only child so there were no games unless it was Solitaire. Hence, I never got attached to them. I used to play bridge on the computer and enjoyed that but that was a long time ago. Mahjongg has layers to it that make it difficult. Still sorting things out but it takes a long time to become a proficient player. Our instructor is amazing.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 8:25 am

      1. That makes a lot of sense. My brother (only sib) was 8 years younger, so I mainly played games with my dad or both parents–and the girls in the neighborhood. But my father was nuts about games.

        Liked by 1 person

        By Luanne on August 18, 2022 at 1:36 pm

  10. Yes, I blog under a pseudonym so I can swear all I like at my relatives and neighbors. 🙂

    I’m always calculating tips in my head=10% of the bill and then double it. Meanwhile, my engineer husband with two advanced math degrees always breaks out the calculator.

    Liked by 1 person

    By AutumnAshbough on August 17, 2022 at 10:05 pm

    1. Eventually don’t people find you anyway even with a pseudonym? Maybe I should blog under your name! I don’t keep a tally on my checkbook but I always know the balance. I attribute it to being a global thinker. I do the % too. So easy. I was at a store when a clerk was given a $100 bill for a $60 purchase. The clerk was flummoxed. I quickly stepped in and helped her out. This was on an old cash register that didn’t do automatic change calcs. Seriously? My 3rd grade nun would have smacked me silly if I didn’t know that.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 8:28 am

      1. Kids today are often completely at sea with change (oh, the puns write themselves!). It’s a good reason to give your kid an allowance and let them buy items themselves.

        Well, my in-laws haven’t found my blog yet. Fingers crossed they never do! And neither has my horrible cop neighbor (I worry about him more, what with all the guns).

        Liked by 1 person

        By AutumnAshbough on August 18, 2022 at 9:06 am

        1. My neighbors don’t know about mine although I rarely write about them.

          Liked by 1 person

          By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 9:46 am

  11. I do crossword puzzles, but I am still just as forgetful. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    By 15andmeowing on August 17, 2022 at 9:44 pm

    1. Aha! Just as I thought. I will still be doppy no matter what I do!

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 18, 2022 at 8:29 am

  12. I keep my mind active by writing a blog. It’s that simple. Trying to come up with something to write about + replying to comments works for me. Thus I keep on keeping on in blogland.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Ally Bean on August 17, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    1. It’s a big part for me too. It has improved my writing skills by a lot!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 6:58 pm

  13. I confess to being a Wordle Fan. My husband and I play each morning during breakfast. He chooses the word, then immediately loses interest, and I do word cleanup from there. I especially love when we are playing while on the road. We’ve had waitresses and fellow restaurant goers shout out “Please don’t tell ss the word…we haven’t played yet today”. And we thought that we had quiet indoor voices! 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    By Retirement Reflections on August 17, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    1. That is funny! I have a few friends that are addicted to Wordle!

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 6:59 pm

  14. Although I had pets for most of my life, at this point I don’t have any now. I will be honest and admit I don’t miss cleaning up any kind of ‘ball’ dropped for me to clean up. 🙂 Doing arithmetic in your head is a super power. A lot of us our age have that same power and are proud of it. 🙂 I’m not a big card or game player, but I enjoy a computer jigsaw puzzle or a game of solitaire in the evening.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread on August 17, 2022 at 4:35 pm

    1. I would miss my pets more than the clean up. We do have super powers that are no longer cultivated!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm

  15. I recently got into Wordle, compete with my husband and MIL to see who can get the word of the day in the least tries. I mostly depend on writing stories to keep my brain sane, though not really sure that I was ever fully sane to begin with! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    By joyroses13 on August 17, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    1. I agree with you about the blogging. However, we persevere!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm

  16. Well, being a writer, I love words, so I enjoy word games. I also have a game I play on my tablet where I have to find things in exotic or mysterious settings. Weird, but I enjoy it.

    As far as finding the husband. For me, in summer I check the garden first, but really he could be anywhere in the yard. If not there, I check the man-cave…the basement. In winter, it’s almost always the basement.

    Watch out for those hacked up fur balls and enjoy the rest of your day. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    By Lori on August 17, 2022 at 4:26 pm

    1. Mostly it’s the basement for my husband too or a trip to Home Depot!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 4:29 pm

  17. I do several puzzles every day. I don’t know if it is keeping my mind working well or not, but I do enjoy doing them.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Patricia on August 17, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    1. I like Free Cell. I don’t do anything unless it’s fun or enjoyable.

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 4:30 pm

  18. Nimble on your toes and brain. Better than your workout Kate! Thanks for the smile😃

    Liked by 1 person

    By Val Boyko on August 17, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    1. Keeping physical is always good.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 3:56 pm

  19. Mental math ~ check
    Wordle ~ check
    Quardle ~ check
    NY Times Puzzles (Spelling Bee, Sudoku, Mini Crossword, Letter Box) ~ check
    Bridge ~ check
    Taxes ~ check
    Jeopardy ~ check
    Music ~ check

    Also, physical exercise (and sleep) are important for brain health. I exercise about 300-360 minutes (5-6 hours) a week ~ walking, biking, water aerobics, dancing. BTW: That total came as a pleasant surprise when I checked my exercise graph last night and added up the daily amounts.

    And . . . I bet I go senile anyway! But, if I’m lucky, by the time I “lose my mind” I won’t even notice it’s gone. 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    By nrhatch on August 17, 2022 at 2:36 pm

    1. The good news about losing your mind is that you don’t care.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 2:41 pm

  20. Have you ever taken the Medicare Annual Wellness test for cognitive impairment? That’s an interesting bit of remembering! SSNS refuses to take it after his first experience. That’s when I decided to do mind games, some of what you do and some of my own. Three little words… man, ball, car… still remember them from three years ago!

    Liked by 1 person

    By Pix Under the Palm Fronds on August 17, 2022 at 2:34 pm

    1. No I haven’t. I haven’t seen it advertised. I had to take a cognitive test when I got long term care insurance. I had five words to remember. Don’t remember any but house but that was more than 10 years ago.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      1. Five words under pressure or test anxiety would probably blow my circuits. Jerry told me the three words and they didn’t change the words when I went for my annual.

        Liked by 1 person

        By Pix Under the Palm Fronds on August 17, 2022 at 2:48 pm

        1. Test done in your Primary Care Doc’s office.

          Liked by 1 person

          By Pix Under the Palm Fronds on August 17, 2022 at 2:53 pm

          1. Fortunately, my guy didn’t offer it to me!

            Liked by 1 person

            By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 3:02 pm

            1. You are so lucky! We don’t know anybody else that their PCP has forced the dang test on them! I was hoping someone would say something here!

              Liked by 1 person

              By Pix Under the Palm Fronds on August 17, 2022 at 3:04 pm

        2. There! You already knew 3!

          Liked by 1 person

          By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 3:03 pm

  21. For a long time I used to buy the Jumble paperbacks to do on the train to/from work. I stopped when I moved away and no longer took mass transit to work. I tried it again recently when I saw one in the super market line and decided to buy one. I was terrible at it! But I might try it again one of these days. I had a private blog for a short time, but I deleted it because all my posts were negative. I must have gotten it all out of my system. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    By snakesinthegrass2014 on August 17, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    1. It’s a therapy blog. Once your done with your issue, you don’t use it again until something else mind numbing comes along!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 2:43 pm

  22. Ah, I do wordle , suduku and play computer cribbage. I also do the discounts in my head, and add up my grocery bill for half a dozen items or so and stun (yes, stun) the cashier when I have the right money.

    Liked by 1 person

    By pensitivity101 on August 17, 2022 at 12:50 pm

    1. You do a lot!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:17 pm

      1. I find it all very relaxing!

        Liked by 1 person

        By pensitivity101 on August 17, 2022 at 2:15 pm

        1. I do solitaire a lot and find that soothing.

          Like

          By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 2:44 pm

          1. I have a solitaire file that has 7 different ones in it. I’m pretty good at Free Cell and Flower Garden.

            Liked by 1 person

            By pensitivity101 on August 17, 2022 at 2:58 pm

            1. Love Free Cell! Never tried Flower Garden!

              Like

              By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 3:01 pm

              1. My Free Cell rate is 69% success compared to Flower Garden which is 87%. The others are way lower!!

                Liked by 1 person

                By pensitivity101 on August 17, 2022 at 3:02 pm

                1. I never check my stats!

                  Like

                  By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 3:03 pm

                  1. It tells you every time you get a game out along with your fastest time.

                    Liked by 1 person

                    By pensitivity101 on August 17, 2022 at 3:03 pm

  23. I think physical activity also keeps the mind tuned as well as the other activities you mentioned. A guy I know who stays in all day, every day seems to be getting more and more mentally dull despite reading a lot online. His world seems very small and his mind seems to be taking on similar dimensions.

    Liked by 2 people

    By Tails Around the Ranch on August 17, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    1. I find I need to talk to people to keep my “word” skills lubed. If not, I’ll forget words I want to use. Weird how that works.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:16 pm

      1. Luckily for me the dogs aren’t Grammarians. LOL

        Liked by 1 person

        By Tails Around the Ranch on August 17, 2022 at 1:18 pm

  24. I’ve never been very good at math in my head, particularly the kind that has multiple steps and you have to keep track of things. I can do it well enough to look good on the Wechsler but please don’t make me hold numbers in my head and recite them backwards.

    I’ve spent a lot of time trying to win the who is puking where game. I figured I won when I found a moist cleaning cloth that can clean up cat gak of the clear phlegm variety that has dried in odd locations and dust has stuck to it. (Tub O’Towels, if you are interested).

    I do play a little Wordle or card games. I’m not sure they do much for keeping my mind active. Mahjong is far more challenging. But I read a lot. Reading should be good for your brain.

    When you start your other blog, I want to know. Margaret and Helen have moved to Twitter and I prefer something more than sound bytes.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Zazzy on August 17, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    1. It won’t be anonymous is I post it! It will be my “therapy” blog but I wouldn’t hold my breathe. I have enough work with this one. Tub O-Towels, huh, who knew!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:15 pm

  25. Brain …. Active …. Ummmmmm!! LOL 🤪

    Liked by 1 person

    By Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris on August 17, 2022 at 11:51 am

  26. I worry about the younger generation who appear to do little to exercise their minds. Scrolling on Facebook, Tic Toc, etc. has created zombies who are unable to interact face to face with people. I won’t even mention not being taught cursive handwriting. How will they read historical documents?

    Liked by 2 people

    By Jill Weatherholt on August 17, 2022 at 11:45 am

    1. Or sign legal documents with their signature?! Oh yes, electronic signature! Sheesh! And all my parents had to worry about was the boys were wearing long hair and the girls bell-bottomed blue jeans! Scandalous!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris on August 17, 2022 at 11:53 am

      1. It was scandalous!

        Liked by 1 person

        By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:17 pm

      2. LOL! I’m glad I grew up when I did. Yesterday, a coworker told me her son’s junior high doesn’t even have lockers since they have no books to carry…sad.

        Liked by 2 people

        By Jill Weatherholt on August 17, 2022 at 1:23 pm

        1. My grandsons school has lockers that are bolted closed to keep kids from hiding guns and weapons in them. Backpacks are only allowed if clear, no hats or hoodies that may either hide weapons or designate gang affiliations …. This is elementary school!!

          Liked by 2 people

          By Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris on August 17, 2022 at 1:25 pm

          1. It’s sad…what happened to fighting with fists? I work for the police department…the juveniles are becoming more and more violent.

            Liked by 2 people

            By Jill Weatherholt on August 17, 2022 at 1:35 pm

            1. That is all so sad. Lockers were where you put your secret crushes. I went to school before backpacks. We had school bags that were carried like briefcases. I don’t know what happened to fisticuffs but when I went to school I never worried about dying but whatever quiz I had that day.

              Liked by 1 person

              By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 2:47 pm

              1. Yes! We’d put Valentine’s Day cards in our crushes locker and decorate our friends’ lockers on birthdays. My coworker told me since all of her son’s coursework is on a school issued tablet there’s no longer a need for the locker. It was more than a place to house books…it was our own personal space…unless you had to share. I wonder if lockers will end up in the Smithsonian?

                Liked by 1 person

                By Jill Weatherholt on August 17, 2022 at 3:57 pm

                1. Probably. Can’t imagine school without them. What about coats and boots are did those go by the wayside too.

                  Liked by 1 person

                  By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 4:30 pm

    2. There’s probably an app for that! 🙂

      Like

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      1. Ugh…I can’t stand apps! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        By Jill Weatherholt on August 17, 2022 at 1:20 pm

  27. I do the barfing quiz too, but with dogs… and I play the “what’s that on my finger/shoes/pats/plate/bagwhatsoever” and I feel joy when I find out it’s just tooth paste or chocolate and not wellyaknow…

    Liked by 1 person

    By easyweimaraner on August 17, 2022 at 11:33 am

    1. I know that game. Especially when it comes with a smell that you KNOW isn’t chocolate!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 1:12 pm

  28. We come from a generation where the only way we learned something was by action, not by hand-held technology. I still count out the amount of change I expect to be handed by doing the counting in my head ($18.73 out of $20 means I should get 2 pennies – 18.75 – a quarter – $19 and a $1 bill – $20). It’s pretty easy to figure out 10% and from there, keep doing math in my head to figure out a sale price or the amount of a tip. Heck, writing/typing using real words and not techno abbreviations is brain exercise – for me, trying to type in techno abbreviations is true brain exercise!

    In the end, the size of the average person’s brain and its knowledge isn’t going to matter or leave much of an impression on others. I can spell complicated words and yet, sometimes I can’t pull the simplest word from my brain when I’m speaking! It’s all good, my friend!

    Liked by 2 people

    By josborne17602 on August 17, 2022 at 11:17 am

    1. I laughed when I read your comment. I do head math all the time. It’s easier than pulling out a cell phone!

      Liked by 1 person

      By Kate Crimmins on August 17, 2022 at 11:18 am

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