Did you ever smoke? A cigarette to me meant a few moments a short distance away from reality. The pleasurable physical sensation started with the first draw and declined the further the cigarette burned toward the filter. A cigarette was mental break time.  BTW, I quit decades ago with only a few minor lapses save a cigar now and then.

Well, I found a harmless but habit-forming activity that mimics the cigarette sensation.  It’s called Word Twist, a game I found on Facebook.  I am totally serious. When things get tense, I stop what I’m doing and challenge a friend or my son to a game of Word Twist. It’s the computer version of Boggle, which I played as far back as the eighties

In Twist, you create words racing against the clock. What’s more, Twist keeps my addled mind a bit sharper. And it’s  competitive as hell. My friend Laura is the best so far and my son is now batting better than .500 against me – me, a word smith and life long journalist! As I was taking my Twist break yesterday, it felt like I was about to light up. No kidding. And no yellow on my fingertips!

Warning: Twist is additive, harmless save the computer screen eye strain and fun.