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Will Shortz, Move Over!

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 26, 2008

Several of my readers related to my memory-loss column ("How Long is a Senior Moment?" The Sun, June 4, 2008), so I thought I would give an update on my progress. Maybe there's something to learn, as I do feel I've made some headway. I was reminded to write this when I e-mailed writer friend Bob Larson and asked him if he could recall the name of a mutual acquaintance I thought I had seen at Sun Terrace. He told me the guy's name and then said, "Thanks for asking a question I can answer. At my age, we usually recall names by committee action." Too funny! And so true!

If you recall from my previous column, I was having trouble with names, couldn't remember applying for my license, was having trouble conversing as I often can't think of a word, was misplacing items, etc. The crowning blow was when the telephone memory tester sent me a brochure on mild cognitive impairment. I don't want my "cognitive" even mildly impaired!

I vowed to study up on the subject and do something to bring back as much of my memory as I could. One expert said if we're right-handed, we should do ordinary daily activities with our left hands, and vice versa. That process stimulates our brain to make new connections, which is evidently a good thing. I thought reversing my hand actions sounded simple enough but found some are, and some aren't. Moving my mouse pad to the left side of my keyboard, I was able within about two weeks to be as proficient left-handed with the mouse as I am right-handed. Brushing my teeth left-handed is a whole other matter. Even though I try every night, I have yet to complete brushing without getting toothpaste all over the bottom half of my face.

Another stimulating activity is working crossword puzzles, so I vowed to take up that pastime. I had never worked a crossword in my life except in Miss Spencer's class when she made us work Latin crossword puzzles as part of our high school homework. That skill came in handy recently when I delivered a Latin-to-English crossword puzzle to friends. If they solved it, they then knew the location of a toga party. We'll see how many show up!

I started my crossword adventure with Volume 102 of "Ultimate Crosswords," which has 94 very simple puzzles. However, they weren't easy for me. They were 13 by 13 square grids and contained mostly three- and four-letter words. I would work on a puzzle for as long as it took to solve it, never looking at the answer. If I couldn't finish one, I found if I tried it the next day, often I could finish it. I guess my brain needed rest. The difficult thing for me was to see all uses of a word. If my mind locked on to the verb use of a word, I never thought of the same word being used as a noun. I finally got past that. After working about 50 from Volume 102, I could work the puzzles as fast as I could put the answers in the squares. Progress!

The Tampa Tribune has a puzzle every day. Oh, dear, longer words! Every day except Sunday I would try to work the puzzle. For several weeks I could never finish them. Undaunted, I kept trying. As the week progresses, each day's Trib puzzle is more difficult. One day, I actually finished Monday's puzzle. It took me an hour, and a puzzle-whiz friend laughed at my taking so long. He said it should have taken me 15 minutes. Ah, a challenge!

I'm very proud to report I can now do the Trib's puzzles on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in 15 minutes or less. To get the ones the rest of the week takes me at least an hour, if I can finish them at all. I will succeed. And then on to the New York Times puzzle designed by Will Shortz. Don't hold your breath, however. My friend almost fell off his chair laughing when I told him I wanted to go to a crossword puzzle tournament. He thought I meant as a contestant. I meant as an observer. Evidently, at the tournaments the masters work complex puzzles incredibly fast, like in five minutes or less.

December will be my six-month anniversary of taking the telephone memory test. I'm going to retake it then and see if there's been improvement. Please, Ms. Test-giver, don't send me a brochure entitled "Still Mildly Cognitively Impaired." If my memory's better, I will update readers with my food selections and other activities which may have helped my memory. Until then, I'm hedging my bets. A suggestion for loved-ones with memory problems is to give them multiples of some of their frequently misplaced items. I went to the hardware store and had five sets of car keys made.

Rosie Clifton is the author of "Kissing Lots of Frogs, a Long Journey to Love." Visit her Web site at rosieclifton.com.

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