My Left-Handed Brain

My left-handed brain has changed my thinking. ...The other day I was talking to my incredible daughter-in-law when the subject of sweet potato fries came up. It had dawned on me that I had finally figured out how to use my hand-held potato cutter that I had owned for many years. Normally, I would attach this gadget to the potato and attempt to push it through while trying to keep the potato from moving too much on the counter. Misshapen fries always resulted.. Then one day, I decided there must be a better way. I was looking at the problem in a backwards manner. The potato, not the gadget, was the object that needed to be pushed. Simply switching the order of the potato and the cutter, suddenly resulted in perfectly cut fries. I had misunderstood the gadget's use. ... I was confused by the 'how'. Now I got it! I was so pleased. ... Had my left-handed thinking been at fault all this time?


Left handed people die sooner, are injured more often and are thought of as less, shall I say, intelligent. We represent 10 % of the population. ..Does nature or nurture factor into this left or right-handed debate? Is it a bit of both or is it neither? We cannot solely say that nature determines our life's success. If nurture can help change behaviour and help make us more successful, can it change our handedness? Does it make sense to even try? ... For my mother, growing up in another country in the early 1920's, she was scolded for being left-handed and 'encouraged' very strongly to switch hands as if that could be done, easily. She grew up, with an unease that was hard to decipher, writing with her right hand with an angular, awkward style and doing everything else with her left. Did her early restrictive childhood regimen in handwriting protocols affect her behaviour, too? I do not know. If nature trumps nurture then there would be no point to special education, surgical intervention to correct malformations, and therapy.  In our right-handed world, we lefthanders can function as well or as poorly as anyone else. ... Is using our 'other' hand any different than learning something new, be it a sport, hobby, skill or musical instrument? It takes time and perseverance. The important thing here is not to take our body parts for granted. We must be grateful and ever so careful as we move beyond the boundaries of our body's agility and abilities.

Being left-handed has forced me to figure out how to use the computer mouse the 'right' way, in the first place. As a child, I would doodle on paper, using my right hand to practice, while waiting to answer a question or finish my homework.. As a former teacher, my 'quirk' of nature forced me to learn to write on the blackboard with my right hand since using my left made writing both difficult and messy. Crocheting was done the 'right' way, the first time. (Re-calculating directions for those who were left-handed seemed more complicated.) My own handwriting is not smooth or elegant. ... I am envious of other people's handwriting in this texting world. Some handwriting is simple script, beautiful to look at and a wonder to behold. Handwriting is such a wonderful personal gift to others. It should be encouraged. But being left handed poses yet another challenge as both the writing tool and writing surface need to be carefully chosen. ... My writing can be messy as I move over the words, just written, in this fluid left to right motion. The left hand creates shadows over the words just written, a problem of seeing that is non-existent with right-handed writers. ...Because of my left-handedness, my brain seems to work harder in understanding certain things. Could my poor sense of direction be the result of my left -handedness? I don't know. What I do know is that more of my brain is used in my quest to be a better right handed person. It is easier to learn right handed, more challenging to learn, using the left hand. Maybe, my 'disability' has helped to strengthen my whole brain. ... Should we attempt to teach our children, from the beginning, to use the 'other' side, to strengthen those parts of the body that are rarely given the 'lead' in any production?


I lost dexterity and flexibility, in my right hand, very early in my life.. Did that medical dilemma change my handedness? Could it, at that late date? No one knew. But here I am: a left-handed person in this right-handed world. I have managed to 'succeed', wherever I have gone. In spite of this 'quirk of nature', I am ever so grateful as I sing, dance, play and wonder what's next? ...