Mom Says I'm Special

One of my many unique qualities is that I’m left handed (that’s right, I said many J). You already know that I like quotes – I also like fun facts. For instance: did you know that only 10% of the world’s population is left-handed?

Historically, left-handers have taken some slack. The Latin word for left meant evil and unlucky back in the day. In Chinese culture the adjective left can sometimes mean improper and unorthodox. I think people are just jealous.

Here are some of my favorite facts about being left-handed:

-          Of the 7 most recent Presidents, 4 have been left-handed. If fact, both Obama and McCain are left-handed, so the only possible outcome of the last election was a left-hander.

-          Left-hander’s brains are structured in a way that increases their range of abilities -  aka we’re high achievers

-          We make more money than right-handed people – on average 10-15% more. We’re very smart!

-          On a standard keyboard you can type aprox 3400 words using only your left hand – you can only type aprox 450 words using only your right hand

-          We spend less time in lines – studies show that people tend to veer to their dominant side when choosing which line to stand in. Less people = shorter lines

-          We can write and use a computer mouse at the same time.

-          We have our own holiday – August 13^th – Look it up

Here are some of the challenges of being left-handed:

-          All of the following tools were made for right-handed people – scissors, can openers, corkscrews, computer mice, notebooks, binders, guns, power tools (not that I have much experience with the last two)…the list goes on and on

-          Very few classrooms (if any) have left handed desks – ya know the one’s I’m talking about with the desk part attached to the chair? (insert traumatic middle school flashback here)

-          Eating next to right-handed people is always a hassle – lots of elbow bumps and spilled soup

-          If I use certain pens, the ink smudges on the paper and my pinkie turns colors

-          Left-handed people have more accidents than right-handed people…Apparently we’re a clumsy group. In our defense, most of those accidents happen while using tools/products designed for right-handed people.

Clearly the pros outweigh the cons. Plus, when I see other left-handed people, I get to say cool things like, 'Oh my gosh, you're left-handed? I'm left-handed!" Instant bond. If right-handed people did that, it'd just be weird.