Lefties Living in a Right-Handed World
August 23, 2017
No, I’m not talking about politics. I write with my left hand.
Did you know only 10 percent of the world population is left handed? That number is mind-boggling to me. Then again, I think about spilling water every morning when making coffee, and I am quickly reminded that I’m living in a right-handed world.
Right-handed people keep reading because you have no idea.
I’m serious about the coffee. The water must be poured into the back of the coffee maker on the right side. Therefore, when I pick up the coffee pot with my left hand and reach across the back of it to pour the water in, it spills because of the angle at which I’m pouring. Crazy, right? Solution: Keurig
Can openers bring on a slew of shrewd words and angry-faced emojis. Because they are designed for right-handed use, I’ve broken a number of them in adulthood and when I do get them to work, the can looks as if a Great White went at it with fury. Solution: electric can opener. (Keep in mind, the lever to insert the can into said electric can opener is likely still on the right side.)
If you receive a handwritten note or card from me, there’s a good chance some of the words are smeared because the side of my hand touches the paper after I’ve added the ink. Just consider it my special touch. #sorrynotsorry I’ll have remnants of my greetings to you on my hand for the rest of the day, too. Solution: Just embrace it.
Scissors. Spiral notebooks. Measuring cups. Binders. Ballpoint pens. Cord on the credit card machine. Elbows at the dinner table.
One more throwback: Do you remember the desks in school that had the chairs attached to them? Me too. My memories, however, are of how my arm was exhausted after writing an essay or taking an exam because the elbow rest was on the right side of the desk. I should have a giant left bicep and no arm flab thanks to those desks. Solution: the one left-handed desk in the school. Thank goodness those years are behind me!
I love my dexterity and like to think other lefties do, too. Isn’t it interesting, though, to think about things from an unfamiliar perspective? We all face challenges that remind us of our uniqueness. Embracing it is the best way to be.
And you’re welcome, world, for all of the things we lefties learn how to do right-handed to accommodate you.
By Catherine Binkley