I don’t know if I buy the idea, “Play brain games to keep your mind active or stave off Alzheimer’s.”

There is probably something to the “use it or lose it“ mentality — I mean, if you aren’t regularly exercising your expertise, it is hard to maintain, or use it with facility.

But there is no convincing evidence that playing Sudoku or Wordle every day slows the progress of genetic or chemically induced diseases.

I look at these games more as indicators. I may not be able to prevent mental decline, but I certainly will be able to detect it. 

Take Spelling Bee. I can get genius every day, and occasionally (OK, 5 times, but who’s counting?) make it to Queen Bee.

Sometimes, genius is a 15 minute romp with no hints. Other times I will not get there until the next day. That could be as much a factor of brain fuzz that day, or the difficulty of the puzzle.

But I will know, as certain as the sun sets, that when I can no longer achieve “Genius” on a daily basis — when I can barely make “Nice,” let alone, “Great,” or “Amazing” — that I am following in the footsteps of my mother and grandfather, and no amount of computerized puzzling will help.

Indicators of decline, not guarantors of function.

As easily readable as no longer being able to tell that, for a light with two switches, “On” could be with the switch up or down, depending on the position of the other switch.

Or maybe not? Maybe I’ll get as angry and confused at the Spelling Bee game as Mom got at the light switch?

“I hear if you read electrical circuit diagrams every day it will… “