Life as a Leftie.....better known as "Southpaw"

The other day I did a post on "Seven things about me". One of the things I posted was that I was a Leftie. I mentioned briefly how the world is not designed to deal with us folks. The funny thing is that 1 in 10 people are left handed. You would think that with the numbers being that high that the world would attempt to accommodate us. But it just isn't so.

I have heard or the stories that years ago when children where in school that the teachers would smack the children's hands with a wooden ruler if they where caught trying to print using their left hand. Ouch! That is something I can say I was fortunate not to experience.

I can remember my mom trying to teach me how to tie my shoes....oh my goodness.....I never really master it....my laces are still tied funny.....and when I try and make bows now....I do the bunny ear trick. My middle daughter is a lefty. I taught her how to tie her shoes using he bunny ear trick. It took a very long time....but we got there....I have a sneaky suspicion that is one of the reasons she loved her rubber boots so much, they were much easier to get on and off....no laces to contend with.

What about knitting? When I was in girl guides one of the things we had to do to get a badge was knit a square. Again, my mom attempted to show me how to knit. She use to have to stand behind me, think about what she would do...then reverse it.....I did learn how to knit....don't know how I did it but I did.

And what about those scissors. I still joke about failing "cut and paste" when I was in school. That is not a joke. The scissors where backwards and were very difficult to use, I was so happy that by the time I learned how to sew they had come up with left handed scissors. You right handed people try and put your scissors in your left hand and cut something......it's not easy.

What about potato peelers? Yup those too....I can't tell you how many times I peeled off parts of my thumb....or I would have to peel towards myself. When I was growing up in my large family I would have to peel a 10 lbs pot of potatoes for dinner. That was a lot of potatoes.....went through a lot of band aides in those days.

Or how about operating any power tool that has a pull string . Those are all on the wrong side for me. Again I have persevered....but some days the machine wins.

Oven mitts. Ever notice when you go to put the oven mitts on the silver protective side is on the wrong side....I always want to put them on the other way.....go to your kitchen and check it out.....our dominant hand is our left. Baking utensils are all backwards....well for us lefties they are. There are finally stores now that you can buy left handed utensils but you pay a pretty penny for them.

Then there are the sports. Hockey sticks are always bent the wrong way.....you have to look really hard to find a right handed ball glove. Remember most gloves are worn on the left hand...as a righty you throw with your right catch with your left. What about golf clubs? You can get left ones now but again for a premium price. I wear a right handed ball glove but I bat right handed. That is because that is how I was taught.....I think I golf right handed....again that is because I was taught that way. But I can't snowboard.....I still can't figure out if I am a "Goofy" yeah that is what they call us lefties in the snowboard world....or a "Regular" meaning you board right.

Here are some interesting things I found out on the Internet about us poor south paws....

.......Medical researchers have searched long and hard for what causes people to be left handed or right handed. The researchers have concluded that left handed people are left handed for the same reason as brown eyed people have brown eyes. It's just one of those things that shows up in one out of every ten people.

A really interesting question is whether there is any connection between left handed people and creative genius. Some of history's most creative minds have been left-handed.

In the category of art, both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were left handed. In the category of music, Ludwig van Beethoven was left handed. In the field of science and invention, you find Benjamin Franklin, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein.
In the field of motion pictures, Charlie Chaplin.

Bobby Fisher, the modern chess genius, is left handed. So too musical geniuses Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Wynton Marsalis.

Each of the these persons had a mind so exceptional as to be head and shoulders above anyone else in their field. So even though it may be more difficult for a left handed person to live in a right handed world, lefties can know that they are in good company. Beethoven and Einstein had it tough, too.

I found this great site that talks about how to determine whether a child is right orleft handed they call it "Determining Hand Dominance" In my title of the blog I use the term "Southpaw" it's just something that has stuck with me. Here is what I found out about the origin of the "Southpaw"

A left-handed individual may be known as a southpaw, particularly in a sports context. It is widely accepted that the term originated in the United States, in the game of baseball.[17] Ballparks are often designed so that the batter is facing east, in order that the afternoon or evening sun does not shine in his eyes. This means that left-handed pitchers are throwing from the south side. The first use of the term is credited to Finley Peter Dunne. However, the Oxford English Dictionary lists a non-baseball citation for "south paw", meaning a punch with the left hand, as early as 1848,[18] just three years after the first organized baseball game.

In boxing, someone who boxes left-handed is frequently referred to as southpaw. The term is also used to refer to a stance in which the boxer places his right foot in front of his left, so it is possible for a right-handed boxer to box with a southpaw stance. Most boxers, southpaw or otherwise, tend to train with sparring partners who adopt a right-handed stance, which gives southpaws an advantage.

So there you have it....a little history on being left handed and the challenges we face. Just looking at my mouse for the computer....I am forced to use my right hand because of the design of the mouse...using my thumb on the mouse to move the page forward or back and scrolling....yup it's everywhere..... The interesting thing I found is the1 in every 10 is left handed. It just turns out that I was baby number 10 in my family and I am the only left handed person. But I only had 3 daughters and my middle daughter is left handed....she is very creative....a great artist.....and determined.....so hey maybe there is something to be said about the creative minds of a left handed person.

Let's hear it for Lefties!!!