What Math & Logic Puzzles Taught Me

I've had this puzzle book for over 15 years. It was a gift from my parents when I was living in New York. I've always loved solving puzzles and this book was chock full of the hardest ones I'd ever seen. It helped me pass the time while sitting on the subway, or flying on a plane or just winding down at night.

At first I really couldn't figure out how to do any of them. They were like sudoku on crack. Everything seemed way out of reach and I didn't know how to even start.

Eventually I came across category called Square Routes which wasn't too bad. You had to draw a complete circuit through all the tiles and turn or pass through certain colored tiles. Ok, I was able to get those.

And then I found a few more puzzle types that I could do. But some still seemed beyond me like Coral or Battleships.

But with a little perseverance and patience I was able to figure out more and more. Time and time again I would come upon an impasse but after a few days I'd finally see a way through.

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I actually think of composing or songwriting similarly. So many times when working on a song, I'll get stuck. I don't know what to do next. I can kinda feel where I want it to go but don't know the path. I keep working on it and it feels like I'm getting nowhere.

But I remember that I am actually making progress. I'm working through things and eventually, after sleeping on it, or even taking a break for weeks, months, sometimes years and coming back to it, the path is clear.

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After about 10 years slowly making way through, I had completed about 370 of the 380 puzzles in this book. There were just a few I could never figure out and I would just have to leave it at that.

But I knew there must be a way. And what does it even matter? Nothing really. Just the challenge itself.

Every once in a while I'd pull out this book and try to solve the last few. Almost every time I'd set it back down without making any progress.

Until eventually, I saw a breakthrough. I made some tangible progress and solved one, then another. Then would get stuck. Then would come back to it the next day or week.

It was the Fences and Pentomino Fences puzzles that stumped me the most. I can't tell you how many hours I spent staring at these trying to solve them. (A lot!) But I eventually cracked them. No cheating or looking at the answers either.

After 15 years of carrying they book around in my backpack I can finally put it away.

I know it seems silly. The result of completing them is meaningless. But I feel this book taught me a lot about perseverance, about believing things are possible and that in time I can achieve whatever I set out to do.