I was born this way, a lefty. My grandparents grew up in a time where lefties were considered touched by demons. In their generation, they would force lefties to only use their right hand. So, my mother is ambidextrous. But for me, there was hope.

Life in the righty world can be hard for lefties. So much is rigged against us. Scissors are made backwards. School chairs are made with the arm rests on the right. Even the games we play work better if you’re a righty. Rumor has it, lefties have more accidents just because we exist in a right-handed world.

That’s just what the world offers. So, lefties, we adapt. Some of my adaptations appear strange to the outside world. Others often go unnoticed as I’ve worked hard to blend in. I’m always amazed when someone sees me sign a document and proclaim to those around us, “Wow! You’re a lefty!”

I just smile and continue on.

Spiral notebooks are the devil for us. But I still love them. Instead of my paper being straight out or slightly angled to the left, I place it almost perpendicular to my body when I write. It’s the only way I can reduce ink getting all over my hands.

Those school desks? Well, when I would arrive to class, I would turn it 90 degrees, just so I could pay attention to the teacher and write my notes. It always bothered me when a teacher would make me “sit straight”… they didn’t understand the adaptation wasn’t showing off, and I’d typically not do quite as well in their class than if they’d just let me be.

Scissors can still be a challenge for me, even in my forties. It depends on what I’m cutting. And don’t get me started on “lefty” scissors…they are worse than suffering through the “normal” version, and were probably designed by a righty!

But, there is one great saying that comes from being a lefty….we’re in our right mind. Oh, I wish that were really true, but we all know the reality, don’t we?

Happy Sunday!