In a break from my regular tradition, I have absolutely no pictures in this post. I'll try to make up for the plain-Jane text by gussying up the visuals a bit. But first, let me begin with a story. Then I will navigate to the real topic of the day. From the git-go, one thing that you need to know is that I am a RIGHTy, meaning, RIGHT-handed.
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In the mid-00’s, I sustained an injury to my RIGHT wrist. It was a busy chaotic night, there were kids involved, there were ceramic dishes, and I ended up at the doctor’s office. What we thought was a small wrist injury involving a tiny shard of broken ceramic turned into a much bigger tendon laceration issue with a complex surgery and extended horribly painful rehabilitation. My RIGHT hand was out of commission for weeks. I was forced to use my LEFT hand while my RIGHT hand was bandaged, wrapped, and recovering. During that time, I realized how difficult it was to get through the day when my primary hand was unusable.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sixteen years later, both of my hands are fully functioning, no problems to speak of. But, the other day I decided to conduct an experiment. I decided to, once again, use my LEFT hand predominately throughout the day. Give my RIGHT hand a rest and use my LEFT hand whenever possible. Make it the predominate hand.
HMMMMMMM.......................
It was an interesting experiment, to say the least. I had to concentrate during the day. Oh, yeah, I need to use my LEFT hand. It was tricky because my RIGHT hand was not compromised in any way. It was just hanging there, being useless, watching my fumbling LEFT hand attempt everyday tasks. Like brushing my teeth. Opening doors. Striking a match. Manipulating the remote control. Zipping. Using my LEFT hand was difficult, but, even more difficult was trying to break out of automatic mode, and remembering to call my LEFT hand to action. I struggled with consistency, so I decided to continue for several days, to see if I could get the hang of it. It was a challenging test, which I think that I passed, but just barely.
YOU GO GIRL.
Why in the world did I attempt this strange assignment?
WHY INDEED?????????????????
Firstly, because I do weird things all the time. I’m always up for a challenge, to see if I can succeed in some self-derived plan in which I set my own rules. To keep life interesting, and all.
Secondly, because of the topic that begins right here, in paragraph number 8.
PARAGRAPH #8 vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Each of us, I think, is programmed to do things certain ways. We create tried and true habits that work for us. Some of those have partial genetic backgrounds, like LEFT or RIGHT handedness. But, others are methods that we gravitate to because they feel safe. They might be easy for us. Or, they might give us feel-good energy. In our everyday lives, most of us prefer to behave in ways that make us comfortable, require little attention, meet our basic needs, provide a sense of satisfaction, etc. Our habits often give us positive feedback without requiring too much brain power from us. We do things automatically all day long. Always have, always will.
So, I decided to test myself by upending one of my basic daily behaviors.
As I ended my experiment and contemplated the disruption of my daily activities, I was reminded that each person has their own set of behaviors that is unique to them. Often, people in the same household do things very differently from one another. While people sometimes allow their styles to merge, adopting another person’s habits and behaviors, I think, for the most part, people cling to their own way of doing things because that is what feels right. Here, off the top of my head, are a few contrasting behaviors that some people encounter within their family (or friend) circles. I’m not saying these things happen in my family, but I’m not saying they don’t. It’s interesting to survey other people to see what they are most likely to do in each of these situations.
ARE YOU THE KIND OF PERSON WHO.....
- ...Showers in the morning (wake up! wake up!) OR ...showers at night (relax….feel clean…go to sleep)?
- ...Eats corn on the cob in circular fashion, round and round, OR ...eats typewriter style from end to end? If typewriter style, do you complete row 1 from Left to Right, then reset to start row 2 from Left to Right? OR ...when you get to the end of row 1, do you pivot and return backwards on row 2 from Right to Left?
- ...Trims your toenails starting with Pinky Toe and ending on Big Toe OR ...trims starting with Big Toe and ending on Pinky?
- ...Replaces toiletries by throwing away a bottle while there is still a little bit at the bottom OR ...works the bottle relentlessly until every last squeeze can be extracted?
- ...Likes to fall asleep to the sound of TV dialogue OR ...despises the noise because you can neither tune it out nor fall asleep?
- ...Opens the microwave door as soon as the beeping starts OR ...lets the microwave's musician complete his jaunty beeping tune before opening the door? OR ...watches the timer countdown and tries to beat the clock to silence the microwave by opening the door just as the timer turns 0 but before any beeping starts?
- ...Cuts your sandwich into 2 rectangles OR ...cuts into 2 triangles?
- ...Eats M&M’s by color, leaving your favorite color for last OR ...pays no attention to what color is going into your mouth?
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Sidebar--> ooooo If you want to know the RIGHT way to eat M&M’s, here you go:
I’ve heard it said that you should eat all the brown M&Ms first, to get them out of the way. Then you should eat orange and reds and blues in any combination, mixing them up. Always keep yellows and greens for the end. When that’s all that’s left, decide which of those 2 colors, yellow or green, should prevail today. Eat the losing color, then savor the victory by eating the winning color.
I’ve also heard that you should use the M&M contest method. Regardless of color, choose 2 M&Ms. Using your index finger and thumb, squeeze the 2 candies against each other. The one that cracks is the loser. Eat it. The winner then takes on the next contender. Your last M&M will be the strongest of the lot. Celebrate by eating it.
If you don’t like either of those methods for eating M&Ms, then just be boring and cram a handful in your mouth all at once. Your loss.
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Above was a short list of behaviors that help illustrate the differences we face as we interact with others. The differences aren't really important, but I think it is interesting that we each tend to do things our own ways. Many of us complete these kinds of actions without really thinking about them. We run on auto-pilot. But, what if we didn't? On any given day, would you be likely to challenge yourself, like Seinfeld’s George Constanza, to do the exact opposite of your normal instincts? To force yourself to make an unexpected decision about how to accomplish daily tasks? I’m not advocating anarchy or anything, just suggesting you shake things up a bit to get out of your automatic routine. Don’t phone it in. Be intentional as you operate through your day. Fire up the section of the old noggin that makes you concentrate and pay attention to mundane activities.
The couple of days when I switched handedness, for no reason other than to see if I could, were very interesting. I really liked the experiment, because I found myself noticing and focusing. It also helped me identify other things that I might be able to do to break up my standard routines.
In a broader light, I think that we are most at risk of dismissing, ignoring, or belittling others when we are locked into our own little worlds with our own ways of doing things. Anytime we proclaim “My Way or the Highway,” we proclaim that we have a lock on the RIGHT way to do things, and others are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG; M&Ms notwithstanding. Upon reflection, I realize that my LEFT hand will not change the world, but it has the ability to give me pause to consider that other people just might experience the world differently than I do.
And, that’s not a bad thing.
Are you the kind of person… who thinks so, too??
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