So, the other day I picked up one of those “easy targets” crosswords. You know the type, supposed to be straightforward, something to do with a cup of coffee. I thought, right, this’ll take maybe ten minutes, tops.
I grabbed my trusty pen – always use pen, makes me commit, you know? Settled down and scanned the clues. A few jumped right out. Bam, bam, bam. Filled those in pretty quick. Felt good, that little rush when the letters just click into place. Stuff like “Opposite of black” or “A baby cat”. Yeah, real brain-busters at first.
Then, maybe five or six clues in, I hit one. Can’t remember exactly what it was now, but it just stumped me. “Easy target,” I thought? Seemed a bit trickier than the label suggested. I looked at the letters I already had crossing it. Nothing immediately came to mind. That’s the thing with crosswords, even the easy ones. Sometimes your brain just doesn’t want to see the obvious answer.
I skipped it. Moved onto others. Filled in a few more around it. Got the satisfying feeling of seeing the grid fill up bit by bit. Went back to the tricky one. Looked at the new letters that intersected it. Still nothing. Put it down for a bit, made another coffee.
Came back maybe twenty minutes later. Looked at the clue again. And just like that, the answer popped into my head. It’s funny how that works. Stepping away seems to reset something. It wasn’t even a particularly hard word, just one I wasn’t seeing at first.
Working Through It
After that little hurdle, the rest flowed a bit better. There were still one or two that made me pause and think, maybe try out a word mentally before writing it in. I had to erase – okay, scribble over, since I use pen – one answer because I’d confidently put in the wrong word that still somehow fit the letters I had at the time. Always happens at least once.
I focused on the downs for a while, then switched back to the across clues. Going back and forth helps fill the gaps. You get a letter here from a down clue, and suddenly an across clue makes sense. It’s like unlocking little sections one by one.
The whole process probably took closer to half an hour, not the ten minutes I first guessed. But it was relaxing. Just focusing on the grid, the clues, making the connections. It’s a nice little mental workout without being too taxing.
Finally, I penned in the last letter. Looked over the completed grid. A small sense of satisfaction. Even if it’s labeled “easy,” finishing anything you start feels good. It wasn’t a world-changing event, just a simple crossword, but it was a pleasant way to spend a bit of time. Those “easy targets” can still make you think just enough.
