OK, so a couple of weeks ago I boarded a flight and took my seat next to a teenager who busied himself with a Rubik's Cube. Seeing the cube brought back memories of one Christmas during my childhood when Santa brought us this infamous 3-D puzzle...a cube we were only able to solve by peeling the stickers off then re-sticking them where we thought they SHOULD go.
I watched him manipulate the cube with focus and ease. He would quickly solve the puzzle, set it down, then a minute or so later pick it back up and scramble it to start over. He was VERY into his cube. About 15 or 20 minutes into the flight I mentioned the sticker solution of my childhood which opened up a conversation that would last the remainder of the flight.
A few minutes into our conversation he stopped, shook my hand and formally introduced himself. He then went on to tell me that he had Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, but that I probably didn't even notice it before he mentioned it. He was a freshman in high school and was flying alone, from his dad's home (where he had spent his spring break) to his mom's.
I told him that I was impressed with his puzzle solving skills and he replied that he could teach me, that it's really pretty easy, that the solution "is just a series of algorithms".
Ummm, yeah, that's what thought.
I didn't think I was up for it, and I let him know that trying to teach me to solve the puzzle might prove to be more frustrating than it is worth. To that he said that he extends the offer to many people, but very few take him up on it.
Well, that was all I needed...I was going to give it a shot. Upon hearing this news my new friend pulled a second cube out of his backpack. This second (4x4x4) cube would be his "teacher's" cube, and I would have the classic 3x3x3.
So, here's where we started:
And after much patience (on his part), and concentration (on mine), here's where we ended up:
When I finally finished the puzzle my friend observed that I must be pretty proud of myself, which I thought was so sweet. And then he said, "So I guess that's proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks", which I though was a little less so :)
I promised him that I would pick a Rubik's cube up for myself and that I would practice. I am happy to report that I have kept this promise, but each time I pick the cube up I am forced to face the reality that I may never be able to solve this puzzle without him. It's still all mixed up.
I'm going to keep at it.
-c
