Puzzled

 

Part I of III

If life's hiccups were all easy level sudokus I wouldn't be writing this.

I've been working on a tough problem. Like the quadratic formula and the Wall Street Journal crossword had a baby that only speaks Urdu and the answer is one of those revolting geometric proofs you solve by working backwards. I've used a stack of scratch paper and my pencil sharpener has a trail of perfectly spiraled sawdust. I'm showing my work but getting nowhere; scribbled mistakes and eraser holes are proof I am trying. Stumped. Stuck. Puzzled.

Puzzles, puzzles, puzzles. Greg told me a proverb our neighbor Oscar said at church. He said it in Spanish, but Greg asked him to write down the English version for me.

SI TU PROBLEMA TIENE SOLUCION...DE QUE TE PREOCUPAS?

SI TU PROBLEMA NO TIENE SOLUCION...DE QUE TE PREOCUPAS?

IF YOUR PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION...WHY DO YOU WORRY?

IF YOUR PROBLEM DOES NOT HAVE A SOLUTION...WHY DO YOU WORRY?

Turns out the anti-worrying proverb has a Buddhist version. If you have a problem that can be fixed, then there is no use in worrying. If you have a problem that cannot be fixed, then there is no use in worrying.

Good advice for me, me being a worrier. I'm also a fixer. The prospect of things NOT working out makes my stomach churn. President Boyd K. Packer said, "Things we cannot solve, we must survive." Maybe so. Maybe I stop hunting for a key or legend. Maybe I stop flipping random worksheets upside down to see if answers are in tiny print at the bottom. Maybe surviving is for the fittest. Why then, deep in my insides and next to my old ties, do I feel mathematically astute and capable of solving?

I love quotes but don't put them in my pocket unless there is an element of Truth to them. I wanted to find a scripture that upheld Oscar's advice. I found it. John 16:33: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

In other words,

You will have tough problems in life: don't worry; I've solved every puzzle.

or,

You're supposed to be working on this: be happy; I can help you solve any puzzle.

My tutor is free but demands focus. Back to my desk. Hopeful. Sharpened. Open.

The top problem? It has an answer. Don't worry. I'll post it in a later entry.

Boyd K. Packer quote from "Balm of Gilead", October 1987 General Conference.