I’m not really sure how to even explain this – but I’ll give it a shot.
I’m kind of ambidextrous. It’s just a weird quirk I’ve had all my life. I surf and skate goofy footed, and start in a track position the way a left-handed person would. I can paint, shave and do makeup as easily with my left hand as I can with my right. Without thinking, I usually just use whichever hand is closer by for performing rudimentary tasks.
The biggest point of differentiation is my handwriting though. While I can chicken scratch legibly with the left, I almost exclusively write with my right hand. Personally, I believe that I could have been a left-handed writer, but just chose the right out of ease and conformity when learning. And for years and years, it’s not better practiced.
Sometimes, I get into these weird phases where I practice my left-hand writing.
I think it’s probably some facet of my OCD, or maybe just some weird tangent of my mind… but I get really into it. So lately, when I watch TV in the evening, I’ve been doing sudoku puzzles exclusively using my left hand to write the numbers. And then in the margins I’ve been practicing some writing. In my defense – I’ve been feeling crummy lately, having a bit of a porphyria flare, so I haven’t really felt up to doing a whole lot.
Anyways. The left hand stuff, is amazing and well, REALLY FUNNY.
It looks like a second grader’s sudoku book, with rough messages saying “Merry Christmas” and my name. It actually cracks me up.
haha, awesome, right?
these are some durn good numbers – all written with trusty lefty!
Out of boredom writing the same things over and over again, and wanting to practice every letter – I naturally began using the ole “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
right hand on top. and the left right below it. so this gives you a pretty solid comparison of how off my left hand is.
I’m sure you’re familiar with it. It’s a succinct sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet. It’s an easy way to display a font or style of writing so you can see an example of every letter. After scrawling it out a few times, I got bored with it.
So here’s where things get weird…
I started trying to write my own every-letter sentences, and soon discovered it was kind of a challenge and more fun than I would have thought. Trying to cram in every letter and come up with unique and colorful words, it’s like solving a puzzle. (Ohh, “solving” and “puzzle” are both good words for this kind of thing, getting in those Zs and Vs, and Xs and Qs, often present the challenge). Edited to add: this should go without saying, but I do all my writing withOUT an aide of any sort – no dictionaries, or thesaurus, that’s so cheating!
At first the sentences started out utilitarian, just getting the job done. But as I kept going… well, you’ll see, a sort of style emerged, as well as a need for coherent sense to be made of the words as well.
I love quietly watching birds zip by, making an exit from trees to sky.
The sexy queen’s chicken wings do jump with flavor, taste buds zing.
Six wily elk did jump and climb, to graze on a bluff quite very high.
Next week’s quail hunt could provide a zesty meal, just forget buying a turkey!
(here’s where the philosophy starts…)
Quarrel not, but exact good and make peace: with a zephyr of justice, a soul ever feasts.
right handed first, with left’s scrawling below.
Always excel on the hard quiz of life by just taking up lessons from every strife.
A quick fix to obtain zen: remove darkness, placing joy within.
Gladly embark on a quest, prepare to joust with zeal, affix your eyes on pride, and victory you shall steal.
Pretty weird, huh?
Anyways, thanks for reading my strange ramblings. Can you write with your “opposite” hand? Have you ever tried. Show me some pics and help to not feel so bad!
XOXO,
HHR
Happy Hippie Rose 
I am left handed. I cannot write with my right hand at all. I can do a lot of other things right-handed as most lefties learn to adapt to a very right-handed world. But writing is one thing I can’t do. However I can mirror write without any issues. If I am extremely tired, I will start writing backwards from right to left.
haha, that’s pretty funny! for crafting purposes, i do a lot of letter cut outs – and i always write mirrored letters on the back of the paper or fabric i’m using. how funny! can you read upside down? about as soon as i could read, i could read upside down and i used to always do it in a school to nerd out over the other kids as like some kind of smart brag. hahah!
you should try practicing with your right hand and see what happens. lefties really do have to adapt to so many right-handed items. do you buy special left-handed tools? i’m sure scissors would be a big one.
it always catches me by surprise. like during hunting season i realized i was using my knives more with my left hand than with my right. whenever there’s an elbow room or space issue, i’ll usually use my left hand to make room – like if i’m sitting at a small table in a restaurant, and someone is close on my right, i’ll just eat with my left hand, etc.
do you eat with both? brush your teeth with both?
A most interesting read, Rose. At one time, I had a therapist who recommended “non-dominant hand” writing, as sort of an inner child exploration. I could never really just flow with it, though, as you did. I’m really impressed at the phrases you came up with, not only with your left hand, but using all letters! Just another of your many talents 🙂
that’s an interesting concept! it does feel a bit regressive to see the wobbly scrawling, hmm.
what’s crazy is that muscle memory is already developing and the difference between my left-handed writing yesterday and today is significant. it’s starting to look close to my right-handed general printing style. and i’m getting faster… i have a hunch that with a bit more practice, they’ll be legible equals.
You also carry on full conversations while sound asleep (left brain? right brain?) Knew spacial concepts before 1 1/2 years and can read upside down better than most people can read, right side up. As your Mom, I believe that while the rest of us use 30% of our brains, you are accessing considerably more, a trait you inherited from me. 🙂
Aww, thanks Ma! I’m sure some smarts came from Dad too – but it was a genetic win-win no matter how things played out =)