(I know ya’ll love The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, right?)
Left has an ignominious history.
The English word left comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft meaning weak or broken.
At various times left-handed meant defective, awkward, underhanded, ill-omened, inauspicious, illegitimate.
A “left-handed complement” is actually an insult.
A “left-handed marriage” is not a marriage but an adulterous sexual liaison.
A “left-handed wife” is actually a mistress. It’s like being conceived on the wrong side (or left side) of the blanket.
The German word for “left-handed’ is linkisch, which means awkward, clumsy, and maladroit.
In Italian, the word is mancino, which is derived from “crooked” or “maimed” (mancus) and is also used to mean deceitful or dishonest.
In Russian, to be called a levja (left-handed) is an insult.
The Latin word for left is sinister.
In Scotland there is a saying that describes an unlucky person: “He must have been baptized by a left-handed priest.”
In the Jewish Talmud, the Prince of Demons is named Samael, which is associated with the Hebrew word for left side, se’mol.
Among the Eskimos, every left-handed person is viewed as a potential sorcerer.
In Morocco, a leftie is considered to be a s’ga, a cursed person.
Anyway, it’s interesting because I must now become left-handed. Struggling to snap snaps, button buttons, zip zippers, cut up vegetables, open packages, hold silverware, write with a pen (as in write a check)- I am awed by men and women who’ve been injured in war or accidents and must re-learn everything.
Still can’t tie my shoes. And I cannot for the life of me remember how I taught my kids to tie their shoes, but of course I know I did. When you think about it, tying one’s shoes is really an impressive feat, a complex and difficult skill, yet most children master it.
So I tried left-handed German Shepherd Basketball with Jake. OMG. Our game began like this:
I’m gonna need more force…
So I had to stop and dissect the act of shooting, break it down. How do I shoot with my right hand? It’s an unconscious act, second nature. I’ve been playing basketball as long as I can remember. My dad attached a basketball hoop to the side of the house when I was seven. He loved shooting hoops with his girls.
So if I shoot with the left hand- a jumper from 10-15 feet, I can shoot a lay-up with my left hand, that’s no big deal, but a jumper… Which foot steps forward? I’ve gotta get the correct bend in my elbow, keep my forearm straight, my wrist supple but not too… get the roll off my fingertips and remember to follow through.
I managed to hit ten shots. Took about an hour of work. Jake was great. At first he was puzzled by my incredibly awful shooting, but after watching me fumble for a while and listening to me talk to myself, he seemed to understand I was trying something different and he kept passing me the ball.
Left-handed (sinister) German Shepherd Basketball for the next 2-4 months. But I still need someone to tie my shoes.
I could dribble with the left hand. Pass left handed. Block shots with the left. But shoot or throw a baseball with the left……..Hell no. Not even a layup. I taught myself to brush my teeth in a vain effort to be more ambidextrous in my 20′s but now I can’t brush my teeth with my right hand!! >^<
Oh poor Julia. I’m sorry to admit I’m laughing picturing the scene.
I broke my right wrist as a kid (walking down a wet cement apron on stilts), and had to learn to play jacks left-handed. It was that or nothing. I learned.
Do remember the 15% or so of the population who are naturally lefties (one of my four sisters is) and how they have to live in a world with right-handed scissors.
You will get good at the basketball - and then be ambidextrous.
Blessings on you and Jake! Lefty-ism is very awkward-especially in the beginning. Hang in there, woman. On another note, that’s a pretty snazzy cast/hand covering there. Mine was not nearly so fashionable!
I can do a lot of stuff, Anny, but basketball… I’m determined!
That’s kind of hilarious, Alicia! I’ve used stilts before. Remember pogo sticks? Loved ‘em! Oh scissors are my downfall! Using my teeth for everything!
I really looked like Sheldon Cooper, Amber!
Yeah Ray, I can dribble and pass left-handed, but shooting? Hard! I’ve had to brush my teeth with my left hand for months now. And flossing is challenging- as is typing! I think it’s good for my brain tho. I started nursing school with a broken right arm so I guess I can do this.
In first grade, when the teacher saw me switching hands when we wrote words on the chalk board, she kept me after school and told me I had to choose. Of course there really was no choice; she meant I had to use only my right hand, the “good” hand. At home I could use either/both, but not at school (the teacher retired the next year).
After reading all the myths and superstitions about left-handedness on your post, I see why maybe she was so adamant. Or, she just really needed to retire…
Oh yeah, Marylin. I think most teachers did their best to turn lefties into righties! But lefties have so many advantages. My son is ambidextrous.
Yep, it ain’t easy when I got shot had to do everything with my left hand and the most difficult thing I found was using a tooth brush, weird ……
Yes, Tom… it’s like brushing your teeth in reverse.
It’s going to be an interesting three months for you. I write with my left hand, do everything else with my right.
Ah, a leftie Sandra. Yeah, gonna be interesting.
I am in awe!!! I can’t shoot a basketball with either hand. I was a swimmer. Need both hands and arms for that. And feet and legs.
I am still in awe of you and your determination.
You have the best dog in Universe.
I love swimming, Roberta! Began competitive swimming when I was five. One of my sisters and I were real tomboys. Loved all sports. And of course I married an athlete/sports fanatic so I guess I double-dipped. When my finger is fixed I’m definitely going swimming!