Another one of my hubby's quirks

My Significant Other has a particular quirky habit.

He's really into games and puzzles.

I'm not blogging about this to box him up or label him in anyway (hubby abhors such things which may lead to stereotyping). I'm simply trying to put down my thoughts, get things in perspective and possibly try to understand him better... or maybe I'm just rambling.

Sometimes after ending a long business meeting with some issues yet to be resolved, he'd open a mini puzzle game on his computer screen to do some electronic battling...... finally drawing a sigh of contentment after he has beaten his electronic opponent... (as if a way of disentangling the unresolved issues off his mind).

Also, sometimes before starting work on some database systems project, he'll open a little computer sudoku puzzle and proceed to work through it...... and after finally solving it, he'd straighten up and get down to business... (maybe some kind of warm-up exercise to get the brain juices flowing?).

And of course there's the daily sudoku puzzle in the newspaper which he'll work through on the train home from work...... finishing off the last row of numbers as he sets down his bag after arriving home... (he seems to revel in continuous mental stimulation).

And every now and again, there's nothing like a good classic military campaign computer game on an idylic Saturday afternoon (for him, not me).

Seems like this is just a hobby.

Hobbies can be a personal project (such as collecting stamps or doing woodwork - hubby already collects coins and notes)...... or a way to appreciate things (such as art or nature)...... or perhaps an obsession a.ka. addiction......

Apparently this is more than just a plain hobby.

It's a way of dealing with boredom... dealing with stress... decompressing after a busy day... warming-up before beginning a task... winding-down after a difficult task... or just a time-filler.

I suppose I might never be able to completely comprehend the deep satisfaction such a person gets from solving a deeply engrossing puzzle.

(Apparently my mum seems to have a somewhat similar habit... perhaps she does it more as a way to kill time rather than as a "decompressant"... anyway she might have something to say).

Whatever it is. It's his thing. It doesn't make him a bad person. Maybe it's a phase, or maybe it's just the way his brain works with the stimulation and all..... I don't know...... everyone has some quirky thing about them...... perhaps this is his.

My quirk? Ask the Significant Other.