When I explain that I started National Puzzle Day on January 29th over 20 years ago, people always stop and look at me. I know they might be wondering how does a human start a day that people celebrate? It's a great question. With 365 days in a year, we all hear of days highlighting different things. While people start days for different reasons, my journey is very personal and comes from a place of purpose.
I came from a family that lived in Loveland, Colorado. The oldest of five children and didn't go to school until later in life. For years, me and my siblings were locked up in a storage shed. We were kept away from people and common events like birthdays, holidays and friends were never part of my life. It really impacted me as a child and even today.
Later, as an adult, I admit to being overwhelmed by the world. I lived in a place the size of a garage during my childhood in what could only be described as an abusive situation. Now the entire world was introduced to me. It was big. And I had no idea what to do. Nobody was there to help. I had no idea how it worked. There was one place I felt safe: words.
I learned to read at the library since I didn't go to school and over the years I was drawn to puzzles. Word games, math games, jigsaw puzzle, escape rooms and yes, even logic puzzles. Words opened up knowledge and puzzles introduced to ways of thinking and challenged me to learn.
It took time for me to be a functioning adult, but I knew that I wanted to create puzzles as a job. To bring that joy I felt solving puzzles to other people when they played puzzles. Yet, I realized I knew nobody who loved puzzles as much as I did. And I yearned to share the puzzles I made with others.
So I found this publication that offered freebies to kids. It was a popular book at the time and I applied to be part of it. My offer was a free puzzle sheet would be given to anyone who wrote me, if, they included a self-addressed stamped envelope. It was a sheet of word games and I always wrote, by hand, "Celebrate Happy National Puzzle Day with Me on January 29 - Jodi."
My idea was accepted and the offer was part of the book found in bookstores across the country. I was thrilled. The first year I got a few requests. By the third year it was busy with requests, as National Puzzle Day was born. The month of January was insane with kids asking for reference to January 29. Dozens of mail buckets lined the walls and they just kept coming. I spent countless hours, happily sharing my love of puzzles with students, teachers, adults and seniors around the country. And some requests were from around the world.
The mail was intense for many years, especially in January. I'd have to make daily runs to the post office pick up and drop off puzzles to keep up with the demand. Keep in mind I had to work as I did this for the love of puzzles and my paycheck, for almost all of January and February went to buy copies of puzzle sheets. I remember my dog Tiger jumping from bucket to bucket as he bounced around the room looking for his toys. He loved the buckets of mail!
Thankfully, the Internet showed up and I was able to share my National Puzzle Day, along with my free puzzles on a digital platform. Today, just like the first year, I have free puzzles for the kids, but with a click of a button instead of a stamp. Now millions of people can enjoy January 29th by solving puzzles they enjoy or go to puzzle events in their community as the celebration is international.
There is something really amazing about sharing the thing you love the most on your special day. Every year on January 29, the world celebrates National Puzzle Day. And I am humbled to see the kids play my puzzles, people solve puzzles they love and hear people talk about their toughest puzzle challenge.
On the 29th I get to share my favorite thing with the world. And all I can say is: Happy National Puzzle Day!
More info: puzzleday.net
