![\"white](\"https:\/\/www.andreapatten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7bqil0yhcwc-300x200.jpg\")
<\/h1>\nlefty<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\\<\/span> \u02c8lef-t\u0113<\/span> \\<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nplural <\/span>lefties<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n1<\/span><\/span>: <\/strong>LEFT-HANDER<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n2<\/span><\/span>: <\/strong>an advocate of leftism<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\nMight I add another? How about a right-hander who has had major shoulder surgery and, for the next six weeks, will be wearing a gigantic, mega-huge sling on her dominant arm? I\u2019m discovering that there are very few things I can do by using only my left hand or arm. Frustrating? Sure. But I guess I\u2019m grateful the pandemic<\/a> taught me to stay in and chill out. Easy do it. Unfortunately, it did not teach me to sit still and do nothing. Post-op pain is handling that lesson. (Gee, thanks.)<\/p>\nI\u2019ve posted a little bit on social media to let folks know why they\u2019re not hearing from me \u2014 I miss some of my social media pals but am just starting to be able to type with two hands. (I guess that\u2019s more good news: I don\u2019t know how to hunt and peck any more.) And as for \u2018what happened?\u2019 or \u2018what led up to this?\u2019 It\u2019s hard to say. I had a very bad rotator tear that, because of other injuries, got missed for a long time.<\/p>\n
![\"citiscan](\"https:\/\/www.andreapatten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/dk8jxx1b-1c-240x300.jpg\")
I\u2019m grateful to have found a surgeon using a newer technology: he built me a new rotator using a cadaver muscle and a ligament from another part of my shoulder. I can already tell that this is going to make a major difference \u2014 it will just take a long time, extensive rehab, and a lot of patience. Those of you who know me well know that at least one of those is not my best thing. Truth? None of them are.<\/p>\n
Something else that\u2019s quite foreign to me is boredom. I don\u2019t understand it. Usually when I\u2019m down, I\u2019m pretty well flattened and not interested in stimulating my brain. I just sleep. And read certain pages or paragraphs over and over. But one of my early discoveries on this latest adveture is that six weeks is a really long time \u2014 and a person can only sleep so much. Since I needed something to do, I decided to jump in and embrace a new relationship. That\u2019s right: I decided to explore my new relationship with left-handedness.<\/p>\n
Lefties \u2013 in great demand but limited supply<\/h3>\n
I don\u2019t know why I was surprised to discover that only about 10% of the human population \u2014 and a huge majority of polar bears \u2014 \u00a0is left handed. I never stopped to think about it until I worked as a waitress, helping to quickly rearrange dinner table seatings so that everyone could feel comfortable and leave mostly unbumped and unstained.<\/p>\n
Since there are really only two options available, it\u2019s easy to assume a roughly 50-50 split. The word \u2018left\u2019 has been tracked back to the 13th century, where it meant \u201cthe opposite of right.\u201d I wonder if that meant \u2018right side\u2019 or \u2018correct?\u2019 It is believed to have been derived from the Old English \u201cluft\u201d meaning weak or foolish. In recent years, the percentage of lefthanders seems to be increasing; parents and teachers are less likely to try to extinguish the condition by forcing kids to use their non-preferred hand. Perhaps the remnants of \u2018weak or foolish\u2019 have finally worn away.<\/p>\n
God made everyone right-handed, only truly gifted overcome it.<\/h3>\n
Despite the quirky attitude, we do not tend to speak kindly about this state known as left-handedness. One could attribute this to studies that show that non-right-handed students are much more likely to struggle in school and have ADHD symptoms. This does not seem to account for describing a clumsy person as having \u201ctwo left feet\u201d or the one who is generally nowhere near the action or the main point of a discussion as \u201cout in left field.\u201d And does anyone really ever want a left-handed compliment?<\/p>\n
Perhaps by way of achieving some balance, wedding rings are typically worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. That\u2019s the one with internal plumbing going directly to the heart.<\/p>\n
If the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body then only left handed people are in the right mind.<\/h3>\n
Not surprisingly, like anything somewhat rare, there\u2019s a bit of lore. There are some folks, for example, who suffer from sinistrophobia<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 the fear of things at the left side or of left-handed people. However in looking at lists of famous lefties, there doesn\u2019t seem to be a lot to fear. People use strong descriptors about Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Judy Garland and Leonardo da Vinci but I don\u2019t remember seeing any of them described as scary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf you want truly frightening, we\u2019ll need to move on to famous people named Lefty. Or at least one especially terrifying thug named Lefty Ruggerio, a soldier in the Bonanno crime family.\u00a0He was well known for befriending Donnie Brascoe who turned out to be undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone. On the other hand, there was country music star Lefty Frizzell \u2014 one of the first I learned about when I met that particular genre. Knowing nothing of his personality I can only ![\"softball](\"https:\/\/www.andreapatten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/nl942-bo_4o-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>assume that he was far more creative than intimidating.<\/p>\nAnd speaking of intimidating, there was the time the Tampa Bay Rays were \u00a0set to face the Red Sox<\/a>\u00a0and their right-handed pitcher at Tropicana Field. Rays\u2019 manager Kevin Cash turned in a starting line-up card featuring nine left-handed batters. This may have been the first time in Major League history in which a team has started nine lefties in the same game. Creative, daunting, or both? Team manager as evil genius? (Go BoSox!)<\/p>\nIt does seem that much more than sinister, lefties are known for new perspective and creativity: four\u00a0of the original five designers of the Macintosh computer were left handed. Like many long time Mac users, I am deeply grateful for the exquisite blend of intuition and technology they actualized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
International Left Handed Day is August 13th<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n
Might I add another? How about a right-hander who has had major shoulder surgery and, for the next six weeks, will be wearing a gigantic, mega-huge sling on her dominant arm? I\u2019m discovering that there are very few things I can do by using only my left hand or arm. Frustrating? Sure. But I guess I\u2019m grateful the pandemic<\/a> taught me to stay in and chill out. Easy do it. Unfortunately, it did not teach me to sit still and do nothing. Post-op pain is handling that lesson. (Gee, thanks.)<\/p>\n I\u2019ve posted a little bit on social media to let folks know why they\u2019re not hearing from me \u2014 I miss some of my social media pals but am just starting to be able to type with two hands. (I guess that\u2019s more good news: I don\u2019t know how to hunt and peck any more.) And as for \u2018what happened?\u2019 or \u2018what led up to this?\u2019 It\u2019s hard to say. I had a very bad rotator tear that, because of other injuries, got missed for a long time.<\/p>\n Something else that\u2019s quite foreign to me is boredom. I don\u2019t understand it. Usually when I\u2019m down, I\u2019m pretty well flattened and not interested in stimulating my brain. I just sleep. And read certain pages or paragraphs over and over. But one of my early discoveries on this latest adveture is that six weeks is a really long time \u2014 and a person can only sleep so much. Since I needed something to do, I decided to jump in and embrace a new relationship. That\u2019s right: I decided to explore my new relationship with left-handedness.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know why I was surprised to discover that only about 10% of the human population \u2014 and a huge majority of polar bears \u2014 \u00a0is left handed. I never stopped to think about it until I worked as a waitress, helping to quickly rearrange dinner table seatings so that everyone could feel comfortable and leave mostly unbumped and unstained.<\/p>\n Since there are really only two options available, it\u2019s easy to assume a roughly 50-50 split. The word \u2018left\u2019 has been tracked back to the 13th century, where it meant \u201cthe opposite of right.\u201d I wonder if that meant \u2018right side\u2019 or \u2018correct?\u2019 It is believed to have been derived from the Old English \u201cluft\u201d meaning weak or foolish. In recent years, the percentage of lefthanders seems to be increasing; parents and teachers are less likely to try to extinguish the condition by forcing kids to use their non-preferred hand. Perhaps the remnants of \u2018weak or foolish\u2019 have finally worn away.<\/p>\n Despite the quirky attitude, we do not tend to speak kindly about this state known as left-handedness. One could attribute this to studies that show that non-right-handed students are much more likely to struggle in school and have ADHD symptoms. This does not seem to account for describing a clumsy person as having \u201ctwo left feet\u201d or the one who is generally nowhere near the action or the main point of a discussion as \u201cout in left field.\u201d And does anyone really ever want a left-handed compliment?<\/p>\n Perhaps by way of achieving some balance, wedding rings are typically worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. That\u2019s the one with internal plumbing going directly to the heart.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, like anything somewhat rare, there\u2019s a bit of lore. There are some folks, for example, who suffer from sinistrophobia<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 the fear of things at the left side or of left-handed people. However in looking at lists of famous lefties, there doesn\u2019t seem to be a lot to fear. People use strong descriptors about Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Judy Garland and Leonardo da Vinci but I don\u2019t remember seeing any of them described as scary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you want truly frightening, we\u2019ll need to move on to famous people named Lefty. Or at least one especially terrifying thug named Lefty Ruggerio, a soldier in the Bonanno crime family.\u00a0He was well known for befriending Donnie Brascoe who turned out to be undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone. On the other hand, there was country music star Lefty Frizzell \u2014 one of the first I learned about when I met that particular genre. Knowing nothing of his personality I can only And speaking of intimidating, there was the time the Tampa Bay Rays were \u00a0set to face the Red Sox<\/a>\u00a0and their right-handed pitcher at Tropicana Field. Rays\u2019 manager Kevin Cash turned in a starting line-up card featuring nine left-handed batters. This may have been the first time in Major League history in which a team has started nine lefties in the same game. Creative, daunting, or both? Team manager as evil genius? (Go BoSox!)<\/p>\n It does seem that much more than sinister, lefties are known for new perspective and creativity: four\u00a0of the original five designers of the Macintosh computer were left handed. Like many long time Mac users, I am deeply grateful for the exquisite blend of intuition and technology they actualized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nI\u2019m grateful to have found a surgeon using a newer technology: he built me a new rotator using a cadaver muscle and a ligament from another part of my shoulder. I can already tell that this is going to make a major difference \u2014 it will just take a long time, extensive rehab, and a lot of patience. Those of you who know me well know that at least one of those is not my best thing. Truth? None of them are.<\/p>\nLefties \u2013 in great demand but limited supply<\/h3>\n
God made everyone right-handed, only truly gifted overcome it.<\/h3>\n
If the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body then only left handed people are in the right mind.<\/h3>\n
<\/a>assume that he was far more creative than intimidating.<\/p>\nInternational Left Handed Day is August 13th<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"person](\"https:\/\/www.andreapatten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pxxaxp1hvh8-300x193.jpg\")
torture \u2014 especially since my brain has decided to be especially busy this month. There\u2019s a lot going on with Amelia Indies (the author co-op) and quite a few fun personal and family connections on the horizon. Stay tuned \u2014 I might just try my hand at a little travel blogging soon. I\u2019ll put the travel notes here \u2014 but I\u2019d really love it if you would click on over to