Wednesday, August 13, 2008

HAPPY LEFT-HANDER'S DAY!!!

That's right folks, it's that time again...the one day out of the year where us SouthPaws step up and say "WHAT ABOUT US?" You righties take us for granted, not even realizing how much harder we have to work at everything you simply have "handed" to you.

What things you ask? There's the obvious ones, such as writing (and getting ink all over our hand as we drag the ink behind). But then there is so much more...driving a manual car (go ahead, you try shifting with your left hand and tell us how easy it is), using a scissors, or my personal favorite, trying to sign one of those electronic credit card pads with a pen that is attached with an OH SO TINY cable, that doesn't reach all the way around for us lefties to use it...The difference between a righty and a lefty? The righties right now are trying to figure out what I mean, the lefties? Are going "I HATE THOSE THINGS".

But today is not a day for the negative thoughts, today we celebrate ourselves. The free spirits, the creatives, the individuals among us.

Me? I'm a lefty for sure, writing with my left hand, and certainly going to my left more naturally when doing daily tasks. However, I'm a bit ambidextrous, able to do a lot of things with both hands. It makes my life a whole lot easier than most lefties have it...I didn't really have a hard time learning to drive a stick, it came pretty naturally, and I've never needed a lefty computer mouse or lefty pair of scissors. But I still get the lovely ink stain on my hand from writing, and HATE those biased oven mitts.

A few facts for you:

Did you know that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa? Therefore, left handers are the only people in their right minds. (Yeah, I know, it's an oldie...but a goodie none-the-less).

Did you know Michelangelo, Mark Wahlberg, Drew Barrymore, Jason Bateman, Angelina Jolie, Mark Twain, Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Lee, Ted Koppel, Jimi Hendrix, AND Barack Obama are/were all lefties?

Did you know 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed?

Well now you do. And that means that now you are prepared to take the Left-Handers Quiz, listen to the Lefties Lament Song, and participate in all the other fun stuff over at the Left Hander's Club website.

But before you go over there, I challenge you righties to take some time today and see the world through a leftie's eyes...try to restrain the use of your right hand and see how the other half lives. Then come back and tell me what obstacles you faced. For the lefties? BE PROUD, and have a great Left Hander's Day 2008

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well let me be the first to say Happy Lefty Day! I myself am a righty. But try not to hold that against me :o)

Julia Phillips Smith said...

My mom and husband are both lefties, so I know all about your left-handed trials. My husband particularly hates the right-handed pens chained to counters. And my mom actually found left-handed scissors and an iron, which she's been using since I was a kid.

Me - I'm right-handed but quite ambidextrous. My husband set up our new computer and put the mouse on the left side, so whenever I'm at the computer at home I'm lefting it. I can write with my left, throw better with my left. I think it keeps my synapses firing.

musingwoman said...
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musingwoman said...

Cool! I write and eat left-handed, so I've always considered myself a lefty, even though I cut and throw with my right.

Jill said...

hey i'm back after a long hiatus of blog hopping. my hubby is a lefty and i notice more and more left handers, for instance i noticed B.O. was a lefty right away. The funny thing is, being a righty living with a lefty, and then trying to work with right handed people is awkward. I always hand people a pen the "wrong way" or move in the wrong direction when trying to get out of their way. it's funny, really. because they have no idea why all the sudden i've gone so 'stupid' but really its just dealing with the hubs and getting stuff for him, well i have to do it completely 'backwards'... so happy lefty day to all of you out there. by the way, my hubs does well with everything but writing and scissors. so i fill out all necessary forms and cut things out. in return, he does things like iron for me. awesome, huh?

qualcosa di bello said...

cool facts, & no, i did not know michelangelo was a lefty. some of the things you must put up with as a lefty sound downright aggravating~ esp. that oven mitt thing! i've gotta hand it to you...this was a great post! signed, qualcosa (who is not in her right mind!)

Karina said...
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Unknown said...

I did not know this day existed. :) My oldest son is left-handed and I was but my mom switched me in grade school. Still do a lot with my left though. :)