105 Ways to Give a Book

Left. Right. No! Left!

Hah! I knew it wasn’t just me. Apparently I’m in the fifteen percent of the population that has trouble telling my left from my right. The Washington Post says so. Oh, I feel vindicated and so much less alone.

Maybe now when asked a directional question, I won’t worry about that downward glance I give to my hands to see which one forms an “L” with the thumb. The beginning of Pledge of Allegiance won’t send an anxious charge through my body as I worry which hand to place on my heart. I won’t need to tell people that I must have missed Left-Right Day in kindergarten. Because now I know that I have company, and that makes all the difference in the world.

4 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

I've always called it being "directionally dyslexic," and I'm DEFINITELY GLAD it's not just me, either. No more do I worry that I am alone in muttering, "Right is the hand you write with, the other is Left over," (which is really awful because I'm somewhat ambidextrous and can write and eat and bat left-handed), no more do I fear I am the only one who struggles to remember which way "lefty loosey, righty tighty" goes. Having company in this DOES make all the difference!

Anonymous said...

Hilarious. I use the "L" for left with my left hand as well. And I have a copy of the pledge on my bulletin board in the library office for those occasions when I have to lead it over the microphone. I cannot memorizre it to save my soul!

Anonymous said...

What a relief! I haven't heard of the L thumb thing - for me it's a glance at the watch - but this one is going straight to my husband who just can't believe that this is so difficult for me. Thanks for posting.

CAS said...

Aha! I'm so glad to hear it! Personally, I have an involuntary right hand-wiggle tic that I do when I have to tell right from left, because I WRITE with my RIGHT hand.

Perhaps we read so well because our brains aren't tied up with silly things like telling right from left?