On the unexpected

a prompt & the unique value of Rubik's Cubes

Imagine you are in a place where you do not speak the native language, riding in a cab littered with Rubik’s Cubes. They are on the ground and seat; they even bulge from the driver's seatback pocket.

You eye them for a while before picking one up, and you begin to turn the plastic squares. You have a 30-minute ride, and you’re already 10 minutes in.

At the end of the journey, the driver assesses your progress and offers an affirmative nod. He hands you a tiny replica of a Rubik’s Cube to take with you. You thank him in a language he doesn’t understand.

Problem-solving, math skills, and memory are all enhanced by the challenge of trying to figure out the Rubik’s Cube. One of my former student assistants at OSU was in the Guinness Book of World Records for being part of a Rubik’s Cube challenge, and it was at the very top of her resume. Long story short, I hired her.

And, for the record here, the scenario above was not a fever dream, nor was it me overdoing my iron supplements. It isn’t even a failed short story (though I may flesh out this scenario one day and took liberty with with the backseat pocket description).

This happened—albeit not to me—a few days ago. My husband was the rider, and he sat amongst over a dozen Rubik’s Cubes for 10 minutes before picking one up. In the end, he did quite well, creating at least one full side of color, which didn’t come as a surprise to me.

Photo by Klim Musalimov

I love this story. But the protagonist, to me, is not my husband (sorry, Chris). It is the man who drives a cab full of Rubik’s Cubes.

“Tell me more about the driver,” I said to him, but he explained that most of the drive was dedicated to the puzzle itself, so he didn’t have much more to share.

The driver may or may not have been a good person, but his affinity for Rubik’s Cubes and desire to share this passion interests me.

There is nothing quite like the unexpected encounters with people who offer us a healthy dose of curious confusion. Those who jostle us from our reality with an offering—usually strange—that reminds us of some truth.

I like to imagine this man as a teacher, even hero of sorts, who works hard not to roll his eyes when riders Google “the best way to solve a Rubik’s Cube,” and instead offers them grace but no gift. The kind who keeps a stock of tiny Rubik’s replicas as a metaphor for the offerings of a world full of mystery that begs us to slow down and examine the patterns in a way that doesn’t look for shortcuts.

This driver was on a mission to reward those who take the time to figure things out, rather than rushing to the end. Or, maybe he just wanted to give people something to do on the ride.

Either way, his choice of activities was generous and oddly insistent. After all, he might’ve had a single Cube and a magazine, along with a few packets of salted peanuts back there to keep riders sufficiently busy.

To drive a cab full of Rubik’s Cubes is a special kind of offering to the world.

Prompt: Write or reflect on a person (imagined or real) who hoisted upon you an unexpected lesson or perspective, who reminded you of something you’d forgotten, or who persistently suggested you slow down and reexamine the patterns.

Let me know how it goes.

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