Only 13% of the general population is lefthanded. With 87% of the world being righthanded you can say we live in a righty world. Lefthandedness is almost a rarity. I am one of those 13%. I am as lefthanded as can be. I am so uncoordinated with my right hand that I can’t figure out how to hold a fork or snap my fingers with my right hand.

It is funny the surprise people express when they discover you are lefthanded then they go on to mention that some distant cousin was lefthanded. Honestly, they have no idea what it is like being a lefty in a righty world.

For generations being a lefty was actually considered wrong. My grandfathers were punished in school and forced to use their right hand. Lefthandedness was considered strange or wrong or not proper. Luckily, today, at least in America, lefties, for the most part, are not punished, but we are still forgotten about or misunderstood by society.

Here are some common challenges I and many other lefties face when living in a righty world. Writing is one of the first challenges that come to mind. English and many other languages are written from left to right. Ever wonder why? It is for righthanded people to easily write without their hand dragging in the ink.

As a lefty your hand has to drag through every word you wrote, smearing your page and getting your handy messy. Either that or you have to awkwardly hold your hand above the page. I found Hebrew so enjoyable to write because it went from right to left. Writing backward is also easy for me. Now I understand why De Vinci wrote in mirror image.

Scissors. Did you ever notice how the thumb grip of scissors is contoured just right to fit your hand? Well for lefties it’s contoured the wrong way. Even the blades are shaped to help you cut with a specific hand. Most scissors are made for righthanded people.

A lefty either has to use kid scissors or ambidextrous scissors that are not contoured or buy a special pair of lefty scissors which are often hard to find. And if you’re at a friend’s house with no lefties, well good luck. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to use scissors upside down or something. I think my husband and I should have all lefthanded scissors in our house, not even the ambidextrous ones, that way when righthanded friends come over they will be totally stumped.

These may be some of the more obvious challenges but trust me, there’s more. Sitting next to a righthanded person while eating, for example, can be a very annoying experience because you are bumping elbows the whole time. Because of this, when I go out to eat with a group of people I always make sure to sit on one of the ends where my left side would be facing outward. That way I don’t have to worry about anyone bumping me.

Another challenge is needing specialized sports equipment. My husband and I were looking at bows the other day and asked if lefties needed a lefty bow. The employee said yes, we need lefty bows, but sadly they don’t sell any. Well great! No one thinks about the lefty once again.

Even for golfing I could never just borrow someone’s clubs, I need special lefty clubs but good luck finding any. When I was a kid though I did have a lefty gulf club set and it was pretty cool, at least no one could borrow my clubs, they were only for me.

Another challenge is whenever someone is teaching you how to do a sport or activity they will show you how a righthanded person should do it. I was usually the only lefthanded person there, awkwardly stumbling around while I flipped all the instructions in my head. This was a challenge when I tried the pottery wheel for the first time and no one else there was a lefty, the teachers did not even know how to show me what to do. I just had to figure it out.

Often, they won’t even address how to do it with your left hand. I have to go up to the teacher and say “hey, by the way, I’m lefthanded. So, which way do I face? What hand do I use to do this?” Very frustrating. Maybe that’s why lefthanded people are smarter because we have to translate how to do everything.

Another frustration is gaming. Most game controllers, like X-box controllers, are made for righthanded people. The dominant joystick is closer to the right hand. Sometimes you can change the controls but often we have a disadvantage when it comes to using controllers. It’s hard aiming with your non-dominant hand. Computer mouses are also a problem. Some lefties use an ambidextrous mouse and switch which clicker is dominant.

I grew up in a house full of righties however and we shared a computer. So, I learned to use the mouse with my right hand but I can tell my right hand will never be as stable as my left would be. Therefore, lefthanded people have a disadvantage in any shooting game which requires a stable aiming hand. I am very thankful for new gaming systems and VR now that use motion sensor controllers. You can select left-hand and it’s very easy to use.

We lefties face many frustrations in a world that is predominantly righthanded. Sometimes they forget we exist. It would be nice if the world thought about us more; they should make a lefty day or something. Regardless, I am proud to be lefthanded it makes me unique.