My Little Experiment: Tackling a Crossword Lying Down
Alright, so the other day I decided to try something a bit different. I’m usually up and about, or at least sitting at a table when I do my crosswords. But I was feeling particularly lazy, just wanted to stretch out on the sofa after a long day. The newspaper was right there, crossword page practically calling to me. So I thought, why not? Let’s see if I can actually do this thing lying down.
First hurdle: getting positioned. I grabbed the newspaper section and my favorite pen – one of those clicky ones. I started by lying flat on my back. Looked comfortable, right? Wrong. Holding the flimsy newspaper sheet above my face was instantly annoying. My arms got tired super fast, and the paper kept flopping. Not gonna work.
Okay, plan B. Rolled onto my side. This seemed more promising. I could prop the crossword against a cushion. Better, but writing was awkward. The angle felt weird, and I had to press down harder than usual to get the ink flowing nicely. My handwriting looked even worse than normal, which is saying something. Plus, my shoulder started complaining after a few clues.
Finding a Workaround
I wasn’t ready to give up. This crossword wasn’t going to solve itself. So, I shifted again. This time, I kind of propped myself up halfway, leaning back against the armrest of the sofa with a couple of pillows behind my back and head. Legs still stretched out. Ah, much better. This felt more stable.
- Had the newspaper resting on my lap, sort of angled up.
- Pen felt more natural in my hand now.
- Could actually focus on the clues without fighting gravity or my own limbs.
The actual solving process felt… slower. Maybe it was just the relaxed posture, but I wasn’t zipping through it like I sometimes do at the kitchen table. It was more methodical. Fill in a few answers, pause, stare blankly at the ceiling (well, the sofa back), then tackle another clue. Dropped the pen once onto the floor, had to do the clumsy lean-over to retrieve it. Minor setback.
Was It Worth It?
Did I finish it? Yeah, eventually. Took longer than usual, definitely. Was it the most comfortable way to do a crossword? Probably not. Sitting up properly gives you a better angle, better support for writing, you know, the usual.
But honestly, it wasn’t terrible either, once I found that semi-propped-up position. There was something quite nice about being so relaxed while engaging my brain. It felt less like a task and more like proper leisure time. Would I do it again? Sure, on a lazy afternoon when I don’t care about speed and just want to lounge. It’s not going to become my standard crossword practice, but as a one-off, it was a perfectly fine way to spend an hour.
