Monday, November 12, 2012

Southpaws Unite!

http://www.lefthandersday.com/
I am a proud southpaw although I was steered toward right-handedness in many areas, so, I suppose, I'm ambidextrous. But I consider myself a lefty because I write, eat, draw, needlepoint, and play tennis with my left hand. I bat right-handed, but throw left (which makes finding the appropriate glove a challenge!). And, of course, I scissor with my right hand because LEFT-HANDED SCISSORS SUCK! Glad I got that off my chest.....

Being a leftie is mostly awesome, especially since there's only ten percent of us. There are some drawbacks though (scissors, obviously, and power tools...amazingly, I still have all my fingers). Apparently lefties are more prone to mental illness, which explains a lot. Ladles, saucepans and other kitchen paraphernalia can be a problem if they aren't double-sided. Three-ring binders, spiral notebooks, real ink pens were created for a right-handed world. Finding a left-handed desk at school was a sadistic version of Musical Chairs; promptness was rewarded! Here are more onerous lefty-hating scenarios. And, unfortunately, there are several verbal negatives derived from left/right references. If you're adroit (droit is 'right' in French), you're skillful; if you're gauche ('left' in French).....well, let's just say I don't want you at my dinner table. Sinister and dexterous are two other examples.....guess which one is a derivative of left? Ever been......given a left-handed compliment? Accused of dancing with two left feet? Felt left out? Eaten left-overs? 

No big surprise, since the Old English definition means "idle" or "weak" -- not very complimentary, huh? In fact, according to Anything Left Handed, most countries' word for left-handed include definitions like sneaky, mistrustful, out of place, unfaithful.....the list goes on.

But as a rebel, I suppose it's only natural I'd be a lefty (maybe that's bass-ackwards?). in spite of the challenges and verbal assaults, being left-handed rocks! First and foremost, we tend to use the right side of our brains: imagination, creativity and emotion. Therefore, as the joke goes, we are the only ones in our right minds. We are the artists, the musicians, the actors and astronauts, the poets and presidents. Not too shabby! And my tennis serve has a killer topspin.

Have you dealt with Sinistrophobia (fear of left-handed people or things on the left side)? Are you fortunate enough to even know any southpaws?

Have you been there?

2 comments:

  1. My mother is left handed and it looks like one of my grandsons will be left handed. Mom struggled with it but was very creative. She sewed, knitted, sketched and wrote poetry. Now she has dementia. The only problems I've ever had because of her left handedness is that I tie my shoes backwards. It is a big effort for me to make a nice bow; I have to talk myself through it. Also, Mom would use notebooks kind of upside down and backwards which I could never get straight.

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  2. Maybe the notebook thing was because it's hard to write on the left side. Speaking from experience, the pages on the left kind of smush your hand (technical term!). Thanks for stopping by!

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Yes! I've been there, Claire!