Left-handed challenges

While the estimates vary, about 10 percent of the population is left-handed.  I am one of that minority.  The first time I realized that this was going to be problematic was in Catholic elementary school.  The nuns taught us the Palmer method of handwriting, and they really meant business with this stuff!  I vividly remember struggling mightily to craft the lower-case f; I kept getting it backwards.  While the right-handed students easily managed to handle their fountain pens (yes, we were required to use fountain pens) I held my pen in an upside down, claw-like death grip.  Every once in a while, a nun would smack my hand with her ruler because I just could not master this stuff.  

 There must have been more than one left-handed student in my class, but I can't recall anyone but me suffering through the Palmer method.  My ink would smear as I dragged my helpless claw across the page.  Eventually, the nuns succeeded and I have beautiful penmanship to this day.  I wonder how much longer that will matter in our digital world.

 When I went to college, I was introduced to those right-handed desks that I loathe to this day.  While my non-lefty friends took their notes and their exams with relative ease, I spent considerable time twisting, turning, and contorting my way through the class.  I still see these half-desk instruments of torture and I wonder if I could have been a better student if I had a suitable desk.  

 Here are just a few more challenges for lefties: spiral notebooks, three ring binders, scissors, number pads on right side of computer keyboards, ink stains on left hand, eating meals next to right-handed people.  I admit that I struggle to learn exercise routines or dance moves.  When my husband tried to teach me to play tennis, he told me that I had, "no hand-eye coordination."  He's right.  I wonder if I can blame that on my left-handedness, or if I'm just a klutz.  I'll blame my left-handedness.  

Comments

  1. BillAugust 15, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    My sister broke her right arm at age 3. That switched to be a lefty. Mom was, too and so was my stepdad so I was the only right-handed member in my house.

    ReplyDelete

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