Shake it to the Left!

August 13 is official “International Left-Handers’ Day” – and as a left-handed person, I’m ready to celebrate!

In every way except writing, I’m actually more ambidextrous – my father didn’t know how to throw a baseball left-handed, so he taught me to throw with my right. Ditto my golf and baseball swings. I draw a bow right-handed also, though when it comes to fencing and writing I’m left-handed all the way.

You have no idea how long it took me to find a left-handed keyboard.*

I’ve noticed a strangely large number of left-handed writers – not the majority, by any count, but a percentage that seems a bit higher than the general population.

Peter Benchley, Lewis Carroll, and H.G. Wells were all left-handed (among others).

What about you? Left handed, right handed, or the best of both worlds?

4 thoughts on “Shake it to the Left!

  • August 14, 2012 at 5:21 am
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    D’oh! I can’t believe I missed International Left-Hander’s Day!

    I’m a boring ol’ rightie myself, but I’ve always thought it would be cool to be left-handed. I like the way lefties hold pencils.

    • August 14, 2012 at 1:55 pm
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      I’m a weirdo leftie – my mother was a teacher so she let me write left-handed but forced me to hold a pencil “normally” – meaning with the same grip a rightie uses, just in the other hand. She would never let me curl my arm around my pencil like most left-handers do – apparently that’s from being taught to write by a right-handed teacher, and curling the arm around to mimic the stroke directions of a right-handed writer.

      As a result, though, I am just as fascinated by watching other left-handed people write as most right-handed people are!

  • August 17, 2012 at 6:21 am
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    Katherine is a leftie and boy was it hard teaching her to hold a pencil! She draws like a mad fiend all the time though so she survived the experience! Lefties are fun folks 🙂

  • August 17, 2012 at 10:11 am
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    Cool! I didn’t know you’re a lefty. I’m a lefty as well as my husband and daughter. Do you have the left-handers daily calendar? Love looking at that in the mornings.

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