To Those That Are Left-Handed

To those who are left handed,

Myself included, we are a unique group of people who have been given the nickname "The South Paws." Together, we make up 10 percent of the worlds population. From an early age, we have been taught to learn the world backwards. We live in a right handed world, filled with right handed people, right handed objects, and right-handed ways of life. With this being said, it is no secret that we have been dealt our fair share of difficulties over the years.

As young children, the simple task of cutting with a pair of scissors has felt nothing short of impossible. All along, we have believed we are unable to complete the uncomplicated task of cutting in a straight line. Although it certainly takes time, we all eventually learn that after all these years, we are in fact capable, we have just been using the wrong pair of scissors all along. Complications in the classroom do not stop there. Each day, left handed students walk into a classroom filled with a sea of right handed desks, as we search for that one, or if were lucky, two left-handed desks classrooms have to offer. This allows for note taking to be a little easier.

Note taking is mentioned because this task alone is a difficult one for us lefty. Put simply, trying to take notes in a spiral notebook means two things: Once the notes have been completed, more often then not, they are smudged across the page along the lines of the paper. Furthermore, the side of our left hands are constantly stamped with our pen's ink.

With all of this being said, there truly is something special about being left handed. Left handed people are often known to type faster than others. Consequently, there are over 3,000 words in the english Language we can type with our left hand alone. Left handed people are lucky enough to wear our wedding rings on our dominant hands for all to see. As lefty's, we should be happy to know we are in good company with people such as Paul McCartney, Prince William, and James Baldwin all being left handed. To all of those left handed, never get tired of the common, surprised expression right handed people have when they discover you are in fact left handed, in addition to fully basking the warm day of August 13th, also known as international left-handed day.