Rediscovering Minesweeper

In the early days of PCs, Minesweeper came as one of the few pre-installed programs.  It had a dual purpose.  Amusement of course.  And I got good at it, though not as good as my school age son.  It also developed skills that enabled quick decisions and clicks of a mouse.  The mouse has given way to a pad on the laptop, occupying less room and freeing a port.  Clicking with one or two fingers to replace right and left clicks seems an improvement.  Simultaneous clicks, rarely needed with the mouse, and not needed at all by me, were not missed.  And I could play Minesweeper indefinitely, an undesirable time sink for sure, but also a needed confirmation that in theory at least I had the capacity to focus on a task for a considerable duration.

Out of curiosity I did a web browser search for Minesweeper.  Still exists, Still free.  It's navigation has been adapted for a laptop pad, using the space bar for marking a mine and clearing squares that could be cleared.  Not nearly as intuitive as double-clicking a mouse.  I never completed the long puzzle.  And it remains a time sink but still a reminder that I can focus my attention on a single challenge for a long time.  I just have to focus that attention on more valuable initiatives.