It's important at any age to keep the brain chugging away on new and challenging exercises. Now that I'm in my sixties, close to seventy, it's more important than ever to recharge and, yes, regenerate brain cells. New evidence reported recently in Scientific American:
- Thousands of new cells are generated in the adult brain every day, particularly in the hippo campus, a structure involved in learning and memory.
- Within a couple of weeks, most of those newborn neurons will die, unless the animal is challenged to learn something new. Learning—especially that involving a great deal of effort—can keep these new neurons alive.
A month or so ago the idea came to me (apparently out of the blue) that I could learn to solve the Rubik's Cube. I just had a feeling I could do it now, I don't know why. I went to my local mall, found three "game" stores listed in the directory, visited each in turn only to discover that all three specialized in computer games exclusively. I found cubes for sale on the internet, but didn't want to wait for delivery. Finally found one at Target, but it wasn't traditional. Instead of the colorful surface we've all come to love, the Target cube was covered with fantastical drawings of mystical creatures. Finally I decided to call a few toy stores to see what would turn up and discovered that the Toys R Us nearby did, indeed, have one Rubik's Cube which they put on hold for me to come in and pickup.
Wow, I loved just holding it in my hand, but, soon realized I'd need help if I wanted to get it solved. That's when a Google search led me here, to this wonderful site. Wonderful, because here the dilemma of the Rubik's Cube is presented as solvable by ordinary mortals AND a method to accomplish this formidable task is freely shared.
That was two weeks ago. Since then I've solved the cube many, many times. I still have two algorithms to commit to memory. I'm looking forward to having the "6 Stage" solution routined in the next few days.
I can't tell you how much this means to me. I can do it! It's opened a door to so many more possibilities. I've discovered a whole world of Rubik's Cube devotees on the internet. I hope to join in on the fun of cubing on YouTube and have several humorous video possibilities brewing on the back burner even now. I believe what I've learned on this wonderful web site will provide me with a foundation to reach even higher in the Rubik's firmament... we'll have to wait and see about that. Wish me luck.
Again, thanks! DameEdithDevine