International Left-Handers day was yesterday, but since I couldn’t visit with you all then, I’m going to talk about it now. My father, while not famous, was left-handed, and I thought he had the coolest handwriting ever. He also used to tell me stories how the teachers used to tie his left hand to the desk to make him write with his right hand, until his mother came to the school and gave them what-for! Nowadays, being left handed doesn’t hold the “stigma” it once did, and students are not forced to follow the mold set by the right handed world. Still, left-handers still face issues trying to adjust to a right-handed world.
I am not left-handed. There was a moment when, however, I thought my youngest was left-handed and I had to make a conscious decision to not favor either side when I handed him things. Usually, I would simply put a toy or whatever, on the table and allow him to use whatever hand he desired. Now, he’s pretty much right-handed.
Being left handed has advantages and disadvantages. For example, lefties have the upper hand in a fist fight. When you’re looking for that right, the punch comes literally out of left field. ß—-see what I did there? On the other “hand”, lefties are also more likely to be geniuses, but spiral notebooks are Kryptonite to lefties.
The left hand in Latin is…wait for it….sinister. Take from that what you will.
From Time Magazine, here are some famous lefties
For a fuller list, click here: http://lefthand.wikia.com/wiki/Famous_left_handers
Bill Gates
Oprah Winfrey
Whoopi Goldberg
The Sultan of Swat – Babe Ruth
Wil Wheaton
Leonardo da Vinci
Marie Curie
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Jimi Hendrix
Barack Obama
George H.W. Bush
Judy Garland
Morgan Freeman
Dahlia
That’s pretty cool post. Since there were no left-handed guitars back in the day, Jimi Hendrix restrung a traditional guitar so he could play.