Why I began cubing
Prior to cubing I was (still am) an avid chess player (Expert 2190 rating). I was, unfortunately, hospitalized for several months undergoing (due to an accident) very painful surgeries and rehab and I could only move my lower arms and hands at one point. I had an interest in cubing back in the '80s but stopped. Anyway, while hospitalized I recalled my cubing days in the 80's and ask a family member to print some info from the Internet and bring it to me, along with a cube. I got the cube and read/studied one of the "beginner's methods." From that point forward I was hooked. Cubing, in a sense, saved me because helped me focus and not think of the painful treatment on the road to recovery and I spent all of my time practicing while in the hospital. After surgeries, cubing helped me, again, divert my mind from any negative thoughts and I began to set positive goals rather than thinking negative things. I learned the Fridrich method and, though I was limited in my physical movement, I learned and got to the point I could solve in 2 minutes. I know this is slow for most cubers but, considering my situation, I was happy and kept up with cubing after I was released from the hospital. Honestly, cubing helped me so much in a therapeutic sense that it became a life time pursuit. It helped me overcome depression, anxiety, fear and a host of other things that go with the uncertainties of long-term physical rehabilitation due to a traumatic accident. Non-cubers don't believe this but it is true. The cube's ability to help one focus and intensely concentrate was so important that, even today, a few years later, I can say that the Rubik's cube literally saved me mentally and emotionally. So, when I solve today, my goal is to improve to the best of my ability. I love chess, too, and always will. Yet, I cube daily and know that even if I am not a sub-20 solver, I enjoy cubing because there is always something new to learn. Many non-cubers think of it as a mere "toy." We know it is far more than that. For me, I still have to master the full Fridrich but I can say, thankfully, that I have
time to do so. Time I might not have had, otherwise. Really, I believe cubing is therapeutic for those that have had accidents or are dealing with uncertainty, stress, anxiety and depression. Cubing is now part of my identity. Love it!
