International Lefthanders Day – Friday, August 13th
When I’m writing a piece for our blog, I often need to research to get a good understanding of the history behind the topic I’m writing about. For International Lefthanders Day (celebrated each year on August 13th), you get me and only me – no research required.
The Lefthanded vs Righthanded Debacle
I’ve been lefthanded since, well… since I wrapped my little fingers around the first object I grasped. Being the only lefthanded person in a family full of righthanded people, I can only imagine how my parents struggled to teach me things the lefthanded way:
- I bat righthanded and throw a ball righthanded.
- I never had to use a lefthanded scissors because I cut righthanded.
- If I’m shooting a gun or doing archery, my right-eye dominance is strong (although it doesn’t seem to improve my shot).
But I’m lefthanded strong when it comes to writing, bowling, guitar playing, and sticking food in my mouth.
When my oldest daughter was born, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was when she picked up her first cereal puff with her chubby little left hand. I’d been alone in my lefthanded-ness for so long, it felt empowering to have birthed another lefty into this wonderful world dominated by righthanded people.
The Struggles Are Real
Even as I crawl my way into my fifth decade on this earth, it surprises me sometimes how hard it can be to be lefthanded; I’ve been working with this for a long time, you’d think I’d have it figured out by now!
Just this past weekend, when my youngest daughter decided it was finally time for me to learn how to French braid, it dawned on me during the how-to videos that I braid hair lefthanded, and the how-to videos are all made by righthanded people. Who knew?
The struggle is real folks, but I don’t expect your sympathy.
I love the challenge that us lefties have to work though. The smudge on our hand as we’re learning to write. The stadium seating in our college lecture halls with the foldout desks made for righthanded people. Even notebooks with the spiral on the left side of the notebook – it’s a real pain in the butt but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love that I’m a bit unique, one of less than 12% of the world’s population, and being lefthanded allows me an opportunity to bond with other lefthanded people over the simplest of things.
In celebration of me and my fellow lefthanders on our international day of recognition, may we raise a toast with our left hand and cheer to another incredible day of being special just the way we are.
