The Fun of Problem Solving

 

I love solving problems.  Big or little, it doesn't matter.  When something is niggling at me, whether it's causing real stress or just being an inconvenience, I find it profoundly satisfying to find a way to make it go away.

Recent solutions include the ridiculous as well as the sublime.  I had a cheap, rickety shoe rack that fell apart whenever I looked at it, which I found wildly annoying.  I fixed that with the extremely creative solution of...buying a new one.  I also had a problem with a certain fuzzy black cat walking across my keyboard when I was watching a show on my laptop.  After he caused multiple problems with brightness, fast forward and language settings, I bought a glass laptop stand and rigged a very low skid to replace the legs so that it didn't block the screen but still protected the keys. 

Two more significant examples:  first, we are programming the 2025 York Literature Festival.  The brochure is nearly ready, and I had the fun (yes, I really mean fun) of proofreading it today.  This is problem-solving with a purpose, and really quite gratifying.  Second, my job has changed rather significantly this week, with a lot of tasks added to my remit.  I had to come up with a strategy to incorporate everything without losing my mind, and on Friday I finally had it.  My to-do list is daunting, but beautiful. A work of art. 

Now we'll see if it actually works.