Celebrating National Puzzle Day on January 29by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts

Once upon a time in the quaint little town of Marlborough, MA, there lived a self-proclaimed dissectologist named Mrs. Puzzleworth. She had a passion for puzzles that knew no bounds. Every morning, she’d wake up with a gleam in her eye, eager to tackle the latest puzzle challenges. It could be a daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search, or a New York Times Connections, Spelling Bee, and Wordle. A puzzle is a puzzle and each one needed to be solved as she sipped her morning cuppa joe.



One day, Mrs. P (as she was lovingly known) received a mysterious package in the mail. As she opened it, a radiant glow filled the room, and out tumbled a thousand tiny puzzle pieces. It was a puzzle like no other. A warning told that the puzzle possessed magical powers. Mrs. P could hardly contain her excitement as she spread the pieces across the dining table.


She meticulously sorted the pieces, organizing them by color and shape. As she connected the first few pieces, a sense of accomplishment washed over her. Little did she know that this puzzle would ultimately take her on a wild adventure.
Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks, but Mrs. P was undeterred. She would spend hours searching for that one elusive piece, only to find it had fallen onto the floor or into a pocket. “Or maybe,” she thought, “it was even missing from the kit.” Nonetheless, her determination was unwavering, and her obsession with solving the puzzle consumed her every waking moment.



She didn't eat, didn't shower, and certainly didn't bother with the mundane task of cleaning her house. The dishes piled up in the sink like a Jenga tower on the verge of collapse, and the once gleaming floors were now a maze of misplaced objects, waiting to trip anyone brave enough to enter. It was so bad that Mrs. P half-expected the board of health to show up at her door, donning hazmat suits and brandishing brooms like knights ready for battle. But she continued. . .


One evening, as the sun began to set, Mrs. P finally completed the puzzle. A wave of euphoria washed over her as she snapped the last piece into place. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker and the room began to tremble. She blinked, and to her utter disbelief, she was transformed into a living embodiment of her puzzle ─ the world of yin and yang. She had been transported into the puzzle. Half of her was dressed in black, while the other half was adorned in a vibrant white. It was hilarious and perplexing at the same time, as she struggled to navigate her new surroundings.



Friends and family were baffled, but couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her, a walking conundrum of cosmic equilibrium. Life became a never-ending quest for balance. She’d wear one white sock and shoe, and on the other foot a black sock and shoe. Who knew that finding harmony could be so hilariously unbalanced? Oh, the challenges of living in a yin and yang puzzle!


Eventually, the time came for Mrs. P to bid farewell to the puzzle world. With a heavy heart, she was transported back to her own reality. And there she was, was seated at the dining room table. The lights were no longer flickering and the room was no longer trembling. . . But she carried with her the memories of her puzzle adventure, forever grateful for the joy and frustration that puzzles had brought into her life.



From that day forward, Mrs. P became known as the Puzzle Queen of Marlborough. She organized puzzle competitions, mentored young dissectologists, and shared her love of puzzles with the world. She even wrote a book titled "Dissectology For Dummies." And whenever someone asked about her extraordinary journey, she’d simply chuckle and say, "The joy of puzzles knows no bounds, my friend . . . embracing them can bring you unimaginable adventures."

And so, the legacy of Mrs. P and the joy of puzzles lives on, inspiring dissectologist everywhere to embark on their own whimsical journeys ─ one puzzle at a time.




About Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts: Sheryl has been a training professional for the last 25+ years. She’s the author of 30 books, including "Technical Writing for Dummies," "Storytelling for Dummies” and several other Dummies books. She’s been quoted in "The New York Times" and other publications and has appeared on radio and television networks throughout the United States. When Sheryl isn’t working on a book, she’s working on a puzzle.