August 13 is International Left-Hander’s Day! I am so proud to be left-handed, along with only about 10% of the world’s population. But because there are so few of us in a right-handed world, there are some struggles that we face. You righties do not understand how lucky you are. So I want to highlight some struggles that I face nearly every day simply because I am left-handed:

1. Going out to eat with people- If we’re in a group of more than two and sitting in a booth, I either need to be the first person following the host/hostess, or one of the last ones. Otherwise, I am going to be bumping elbows with people….
2. Sitting at some kind of round or close table in general- Bumping. Elbows. Is. A. Real. Problem. Please trust me when I sit somewhere and don’t ask me to move much closer.
3. Spiral notebooks/planners- The spirals hurt my hand. My writing gets funky, and I can’t use them very well. That’s why you hardly ever see me with a spiral planner. On that note…
4. Three-ring binders- It’s usually the same kind of problem as the spiral notebooks. It’s hard to write when something is right in the way of your hand.
5. Can openers- Can I be real for a second? Can openers suck!!!! I can’t figure out how to use them properly, and it takes FOREVER to get things open. Please can someone make a can opener that actually makes sense?!?!?
6. Scissors- Growing up in school, I had the most difficult time cutting stuff. The holes of lefty scissors were never big enough for my fingers, and right-handed scissors hurt my hands. To this day, I still struggle cutting things in a straight line, and I’m sure it is the fact that it took me forever to actually cut stuff because of school.
7. Automatic ice cream scoops- This is along the same line as can openers. Fortunately, these actually make some semblance of sense once you train your hands. It’s still awkward though.
8. Mugs- I love cute mugs! However, most of the time, the design is on the wrong side. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to either hold the mug with my right hand, or have the design face out. Also, if there is writing on the lip, I usually am drinking right on the writing.
9. Buffet lines or self-service food- I tend to hold my plate with my left hand because that’s more stable. However, my left hand is also better for scooping out food, which creates a whole host of problems. Then, I have to switch out so I can hold things with my right hand and get food with my left.
10. Musical instruments- Most of the keys on the piano are played with the right hand. It is incredibly rare to find a left-handed guitar. Jimi Hendrix, a famous lefty, actually played right-handed guitars upside down.
11. Sign language- Until recently, whenever I would learn a new sign in sign language, I would sign it as I saw it, with my right hand. A few years ago, I started making the switch. Now, I sign better with my left hand, as I should.
12. Sports equipment- I’m weird in the fact that I play most sports right-handed. But part of that is because some of the equipment isn’t made for left-handed people. I throw a baseball with my right hand, but I bat with my left. I golf with my left, but play basketball with my right.
13. Writing- Honestly, I could spend all day on this one. I cannot tell you how many times I have ink smeared on the back of my hand, or how many times the writing smudges on the paper. Chalkboards and dry erase boards almost always lose something from my hand. Writing is one of the biggest problems I encounter as a southpaw.
14. Measuring cups- When the handle faces the left side, it’s never the measurements I need. To be decent in the kitchen, I have had to learn to have some semblance of control with my right hand to be able to pour it. Otherwise, I have to take an extra second or two to switch the cup around so I can see it properly.
15. Left-handed desks- I personally have no difficulty writing on a right-handed desk. But it really upsets me when right-handed people are so against being stuck with the one or two left-handed desks in a classroom. This is what I have to struggle with all the time!
16. History- Before people had an understanding of different handedness, it was often assumed that people who were left-handed were possessed by the devil. People didn’t understand other people’s differences. Even the French word for left is gauche. Other translations for that same word are ungainly, clumsy, and graceless.
17. Chained or connected pens- You find the ones at the bank or on card machines. If I have to sign something, it takes me a couple of extra seconds to adjust the pen so I can sign it properly.
18. Decals on pens and other things being upside down- Because of the way I have to hold things with my left hand, pens with logos on them are always upside down.
19. Measuring things- It takes so much more time to measure something as a lefty than it does for you right-handed people. If I’m using a ruler, I have to make sure my ruler is in place while I switch hands to grab my marking utensil. If I’m using a measuring tape, then oftentimes the measurements are upside-down and it’s much more difficult for me
20. People- People see me writing and they’re like “Wow are you left-handed?” Like obviously! And then people ask me, “How do you write like that?” I don’t know. I don’t have answers. I write with my left hand the same way you write with your right. It really is that simple. My brain just processes it a little differently, but it’s the same final result.

So there you have it! 20 things that I struggle with simply because I am left-handed. But, that being said, I think it’s really cool and I wouldn’t change it! On this Left-Hander’s Day, go find your favorite southpaw and tell them Happy Left-Hander’s Day!!!