Left Handers Day
Today is apparently Left Handers Day. Mostly I don't make too much of a fuss about the way the world is organised for right handers, I think of myself as pretty adaptable. I tend to think there are more important things to get upset over. My working environment however is very 'handist', as I discovered on my first day. When I started sorting letters on the first morning I found that I was putting them into the frame backwards because I use my left hand. The frame (a series of slots on shelves that allow the letters to be put into delivery order) is arranged from left to right and the letters must be facing left. I used to be able to get around this in my old office; if I was sorting with someone I would do it their way but when working by myself I would just put the letters in the wrong way around but then had to take them out of the frame one house at a time. In my current office however the frames are smaller (too many walks packed into a small space) and the slots are all doubled up, two houses per slot. I can no longer put the letters in backwards and am obliged to turn each letter as I put it in the frame, something that I have just developed a knack for. I did discover a left handed frame when I worked in Northleach because the walk holder was left handed and had arranged the frame from right to left ... it was great. After all this time however I find that I am just acclimatised to doing things to suit the righties.
I do play the guitar right handed and knit right handed ... it's funny that only left handed people really notice that there might be another way to do stuff.
How frustrating: we RH'ers take things for granted really. Funnily enough my eldest chose to write with his right hand but does everything else with his left.
ReplyDeleteMy ex used to tell a story of being made to sit on his left hand and write with his right because his handwriting was so bad his teacher was convinced he was not really left handed. We always assumed that since we were both lefties at least one of the kids would be too but they are all right handed.
ReplyDeletemartine
I work with two left handed colleagues but they've adapted themselves to the right-ist environment only because they had to! I think they made themselves ambidextrous out of necessity rather than choice. My left hand is great for helping me type but feeble in everything else - it's so submissive to my dominant right! Happy Left Handers Day! Take care
ReplyDeletex
I must just be picky because I hate being left handed. Chalkboards/whiteboards are really tough to write on. And writing for more than a page leaves your hand permanently black/blue. Ha! Way to have a good attitude about it :)
ReplyDeleteOnly just (Tuesday morning) found this otherwise me and my husband could have celebrated jointly yesterday, instead of which we ... didn't.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, of our three children two are normal right-handed and one extremely so. I would claim it's that they lack genuis, but then so does my husband ;-)
I didn't know we had a day! I had to learn to knit right handed because that's the only way my mother and grandmother could show me. But I've picked up crochet the usual way - all I can do is make a chain, though, because I can't find a leftie to teach me!
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