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If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be spending my free time staring at a grid of numbers for fun, I probably would’ve laughed.

Now? I genuinely look forward to it.

Some people unwind with music. Some binge-watch shows. I sit down with a pencil, a quiet room, and a blank grid, ready to wrestle with logic for the next hour. That’s the effect Sudoku has had on me—it turned stillness into something exciting.

It Started as “Just Trying It Out”

I didn’t grow up playing puzzle games. I wasn’t the kid solving logic problems for fun. In fact, I used to think number-based games were intimidating.

But one lazy Sunday afternoon, with nothing urgent to do, I downloaded a simple puzzle app. I picked an “easy” level because I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

The first few moves felt mechanical. Scan the row. Scan the column. Drop in the obvious number.

Then something shifted.

Instead of seeing random digits, I started seeing patterns. Relationships. Restrictions. Possibilities shrinking.

By the time I completed that first grid, I felt a tiny spark of pride. It wasn’t dramatic—but it was real.

And that spark kept me coming back.