WORDLE, Anyone?

My son John and I have played Wordle for years, almost without missing a day. We started playing before the New York Times bought WORDLE from its creator, software engineer Josh Wardle, in November 2021, first publishing in February 2022. Wordle has 2,309 correct words possible, and over 10,000 valid words for guesses. Currently, over 1900 games played without repeating a word.

In a NYT article, January 31, 2022, the general manager for the paper’s games wrote, “The game has done what so few games have done — it has captured our collective imagination and brought us all a little closer together. We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game and are honored to help bring Mr. Wardle’s cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead.”

John and I have played over 1600 of those games––going on four and a half years!

How We Play

Wordle gives 6 attempts to guess the correct word. John and I compare this to golf score. Hole-in-one, first guess is right! Two guesses, an eagle. Three, a birdie. Four, par. Five, a bogey. Six, double bogey. If you don’t get the word in six, your “streak” starts over.

Whaaahhh! “Call the whaam-bulance.”

John and I start with the same word every day. Whoever goes first and shares their score on a text created just for our Wordle scores, gaining an advantage by seeing how many letters in that first word are correct and whether or not letters are in the right place. (My daughter Rose stalks our text and posts only when she beats us.)

We banter back and forth. Taunts, hints, and emojis. Our interaction makes this fun!

Frankly, this daily connection is what keeps me playing. After my initial loss of 1343 game streak, I almost quit. I had to subscribe to the NYT if I wanted to continue.

But I know there is a real person on the other end of this quest. That’s what makes the time I spend playing worthwhile to me.

Sometimes, with John’s advantage, I can guess the word in under a minute. Other days, I can spend 20 minutes untangling the letters. And sometimes, I have to walk away and come back later to solve the puzzle.

The Value of Connections

Well, jumping to hyperspace so I can make the connection between Wordle and my blog . . .

I first started blogging in 2009. In 2015, moved my writing from blogspot to create a website because Google “owned” my content––whatever I posted.

Two years ago this month, I switched website host for better security––particularly for my readers. Starting over, I lost my previous content, although what was first written and posted on blogspot will apparently outlast me.

I have struggled to keep up with my current blog. Lots of moving parts in daily life.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t care.

I do care.

I feel “connected” to readers. Near or far. And I work to maintain connection the same way I write cards, letters, and notes to people I know.

In an increasingly impersonal world, it has become harder to stay connected with everyone, even people I don’t know but once cared enough to follow into hyperspace.

My husband James says, “You are their friend, but they are not yours.”

A Real Person Here

My husband tells me the Internet gurus are “explainers” or marketers. (I bet you have figured this out too.)

And who knows what AI will do to content? Who can you trust?

Late to the party, I guess. Still, I wonder if it’s time for me to leave the Internet party.

A friend reminds me, “Our runway is getting shorter.”

I rarely visit Facebook so if you want me to know to look at something you posted, please let me hear from you. Send pictures too.

My Instagram feed is nearly all someone selling something. Or cat videos (which I do enjoy).

So for now, I am here . . . an actual website that has nothing for sale.

A Lesson that Stuck

While living in Dallas, a student in seminary, I was driving my husband to the airport to catch a flight to Germany. I shared with him concerns about a paper I had due for a class.

“Deadlines are good for people like you,” he said. “They tell you when to STOP. Deadlines for people like me tell me when to START.”

He was right!

There’s something about deadlines . . .

Question for me:

Is it time for me to quit?

I read that the average lifespan of a blog is 24–33 months and many fail or drop-off after three months. YIKES!

Here’s a question for you, those who have remained connected.

Tell me (so I don’t have to guess like I do in Wordle) what you expect to read here? What would be worth YOUR time to read? What can I write that might add something worthwhile to your life?

Truly, I value your time and the trust as Readers you extend me for the privilege of footnotes2stories.com sent to your email inbox.

Like playing Wordle every day with my adult son and youngest daughter, it’s the connection between us that keeps this Everready Bunny going.