Okay, so I settled in this morning with my usual cup of coffee and the New York Times crossword. I like to try and get it done before the day really kicks off, you know? Gets the brain working.
Things were moving along okay, getting a few here and there, feeling pretty good. Then I hit this clue: Sanders slogan. Four words, it looked like, based on the grid space. My mind immediately went to Bernie Sanders, of course. Stared at it for a bit.
What was his main thing? I started thinking about all the stuff from the campaigns. Rallies, signs, soundbites. Lots of talk about the economy, healthcare, that kind of thing. But a specific slogan? The catchy phrase?
I tried piecing together some common political words, but nothing seemed quite right for the letters I already had crossing it. I had an ‘F’ at the beginning of the first word and maybe an ‘E’ somewhere. Hmm. F _ _ _ …
I put the puzzle down for a second, took another sip of coffee. Sometimes stepping away helps. Then it just sort of clicked. I pictured those campaign signs again in my head. It wasn’t really a policy point, more of a feeling, a sort of rallying cry.
FEEL THE BERN. Yeah, that had to be it. Four words. F-E-E-L T-H-E B-E-R-N. Checked the crossing letters I had again, and yup, they fit perfectly. It slotted right in there.
It’s funny how those campaign things stick in your head, even years later. Anyway, penciled that one in and moved on to the next clue. Felt good to get past that little sticking point. Onward!
