Face your numberphobia — play Sudoku

I’ve never been good with numbers. I see numbers and I cringe. When I do my bills, I reach for the calculator rather than do any math in my head, because when numbers get inside my head they float and bounce around like a space shuttle astronaut. When I took algebra in high school, I often had to be revived by paramedics. When I’ve lived in a place where my house number is more than three digits, I have to write it on my hand to remember.

Numbers and me just don’t add up.

So the idea of playing sudoku began as a real gut-buster. Me? Playing a puzzle game involving numbers? That’s rich. That’s a riot. Get ready to pull my plug, because after a minute or two I’d be in an irreversible state of catatonia.

But there is also a part of me that refuses to be intimidated by numbers. What are numbers, anyway? They don’t carry weapons. They don’t operate outside the law. They aren’t especially nasty looking, although a bunch of them together in the wrong context can put enough fear in me to call my accountant at home and interrupt his dinner.

So I took a shot of whisky and howled as I slammed the glass down on the table. Did a few pushups. Then I took a deep breath and sat down in front of a sudoku puzzle.

I’ll show those numbers who’s boss.

The bad news is that numbers are still boss, and I report to them, and I remain on thin ice. The good news is that sudoku is fun, and I’m on my way to beating my numbers problem.

“Hi. My name is Michael. I’m an arithmophobiac …”

Perfect for the numbers-challenged
Sudoku is perfect for the numbers-challenged. The basic task is relatively simple: There is a grid sectioned off into nine boxes, with nine spaces inside each box. The idea is to fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every box contains the digits 1 through 9.

The first time I read that, I developed a headache. But then I took two Tylenol and continued, determined to overcome my hesitation.

What I discovered is that the more I played, the better I became at it. What a revelation this was to me. Usually, I give up. I can surrender with the best of them. But I realized if I applied myself, really concentrated and employed my powers of logic and reason, I could not only understand a sudoku puzzle, but finish it.

Of course, I finished it at the “one-star” or “gentle” or “easy” level, but hey, you have to start somewhere.

Actually, sudoku isn’t so much about math as it is about logic. I’ve spent most of my professional career covering entertainment and sports, so you can see that logic has played a very small part of my day-to-day life. But the logic muscles in the brain never really atrophy, they simply lay dormant until needed. So even someone who has spent most of his or her life in an illogical state, like a Pauly Shore devotee or a Cubs fan, can experience success with sudoku.

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