“If the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, then left-handed people must be the only ones in their right minds.”   – W.C. Fields

As if Hallmark needed another reason to make a card, August 13 is International Left-Handers Day. The nearly two-decade old holiday doesn’t seem to get the recognition it deserves- then again, neither do left-handers.

Not surprisingly, there is a Left-Handers Club that came up with the holiday back in 1992 to “increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.” Shall we join in a collective waahhh for southpaws everywhere?

But seriously, I do want to take a moment and say Happy Left-Handers Day to my very own daughter: Twin A., Angela.

I have watched her struggle with scissors, knives, seating arrangements where her arm simply has no place to go, and several other situations that most of us normal- ummm, I mean right-handed folks, never consider. The world is definitely arranged for right-handed people and since I love my daughter today I speak out against this bigotry.

Think of the term itself.  A left-handed compliment is one that is not a compliment at all. The left side of the theater has the “odd” numbered seats. Obviously, left = odd. If you are “left out” well, clearly that isn’t good. The Italian words for left and left-handed are “mancino and mancini” which translate to “defective and deceitful.” A promise you have no intentions of keeping is called a “left-handed oath.”

There are also some interesting facts about left handed people:
*There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed. (Ange is lefty, Jackie is not)
*Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers
* Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, is a fellow lefty and he made his lead character Bart Simpson left-handed as well.
*There were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 than right-handed people- which is the “genius” bracket. This is perhaps why there are more lefties in creative professions- such as music, art and writing- and more left-handed astronauts and leaders than would be expected.
(Left-Handers Day.com)

And did you know that left-handed folks have an advantage when it comes to fist fights? Nobody knows exactly why, but perhaps because that first swing from an unexpected hand makes all the difference! (Life-Script.com)

In my own personal experience I’m seeing a higher rate of left-handed people at my place of employment. In Angela’s office lefties dominate. OK, this is a bit frightening. Pretty soon there will be more of “them” than there are of us and they will be voting and marrying each other and who knows what else. I’m pretty sure they are already serving in the military.  I think you can tell by the way they hold their rifles.

Anyway, let’s all take today to celebrate the left-handed people in our lives. Just remember Angela, life might be more challenging but you share this day with Einstein, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Dave Barry, Benjamin Franklin, SJP, Oprah, Brad Pitt, Picasso, Leonardo DaVinci… … and The Boston Strangler. Hey there’s a jerk in every crowd.