Today is National Left-Handers' Day. (If you don't believe it, look it up) Us lefties deserve a special day. After all, history has not been very kind to us. There is a strong association with things referred to on the left as being bad. The word "sinister" is from a Latin word that means "left", and a left-handed toast amounts to a curse, not a well-wish.
Just one generation ago, many left-handers were forced to change with the rod of the school marm hitting their left hand every time they tried to write with it. My uncle, who was born left-handed, was forced by his parents to switch to being right handed and it caused him to stutter so badly that he had to go to a speech therapist.
Growing up left handed in a right handed world is not easy. I spent most of my college years sitting sideways in a desk which had the arm and desk part of a chair on the right side. I can't really use a power saw, hedge clippers, or a can opener , vegetable peeler, knife sharpener or many other helpful tools and appliances without the threat of amputating my limbs. After ironing with the cord sticking in my stomach for years, I finally learned to iron right handed and the same thing with scissors - just finally gave in and started cutting stuff with my right hand.
Here's a leftie discrimination for you. You can play polo if you are right handed or left handed except polo rules state that you must hold your mallet in your right hand. DUH!
So, for all you lefties out there who struggle in our right-handed world, today is our day ! Enjoy it and go out and play a trumpet or trumbone or strum a guitar (oops, I forgot- you have to be right-handed to do that!)
Just one generation ago, many left-handers were forced to change with the rod of the school marm hitting their left hand every time they tried to write with it. My uncle, who was born left-handed, was forced by his parents to switch to being right handed and it caused him to stutter so badly that he had to go to a speech therapist.
Growing up left handed in a right handed world is not easy. I spent most of my college years sitting sideways in a desk which had the arm and desk part of a chair on the right side. I can't really use a power saw, hedge clippers, or a can opener , vegetable peeler, knife sharpener or many other helpful tools and appliances without the threat of amputating my limbs. After ironing with the cord sticking in my stomach for years, I finally learned to iron right handed and the same thing with scissors - just finally gave in and started cutting stuff with my right hand.
Here's a leftie discrimination for you. You can play polo if you are right handed or left handed except polo rules state that you must hold your mallet in your right hand. DUH!
So, for all you lefties out there who struggle in our right-handed world, today is our day ! Enjoy it and go out and play a trumpet or trumbone or strum a guitar (oops, I forgot- you have to be right-handed to do that!)
3 comments:
Not to take anything away from your struggles, Mom, because I'm sure learning to iron with you right hand was a major ordeal...but your fellow leftie, Jimi Hendrix, taught himself guitar by playing a right-handed Fender Stratocaster turned upside down and re-strung!
OUCH...that was a low blow coming from the favorite daughter! Maybe I've jumped back up in the rankings LOL
My mom is a leftie too! I guess there is bound to be a few in a family of 14 kids!
Hope all is well!
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