With the college football and NFL seasons both right around the corner you might think this week’s title is in reference to a touchdown, but it isn’t.

My family and I work word puzzles everyday. Mostly it’s me and Mrs. MoM, but the kids jump in as well. Most of your puzzles are on the New York Times app. We started with the crosswords then eventually began to explore the others. A new favorite is the Spelling Bee. It gives you seven letters in a “hive” and you need to use the letters to make words. Go check it out. I’ll wait…

Oh, you’re back? Great! Anyhow, as you progress through the words you gain ranks. Currently, I have a streak of over 100 days hitting Genius.

Saturday has thrown me a curve though. I’m still 6 points away. It’s frustrating because the more I stare at the letters, the more entrenched in my thinking I get. It’s hard to see something different. That’s when I ask for a bit of help from the kids. They often bring a fresh perspective to the game. They aren’t attached to my previous perspective and biases.

Sound like recovery to anyone else? It certainly does to me! We often can’t see our own way out of a jam because we are stuck in our own stinkin’ thinkin’! We need to put our pride to the side and ask for help.

Who knows where those last 6 points will come from? Who knows if they will even arrive at all? One thing is clear: on my own I am stuck, but with a little help from my friends I will surely…

—Rise Up!!

Addendum: I got to Genius! Açaí, acacia, ionic, canon, campo, and cannon were my missing links! I actually got there on my own, but I did reach out for help!