Left-Handers

Today is International Left-Handers' Day. (Says who? you might ask. The defunct organization Lefthanders International, that's who.)

I'm left-handed. At least I think that's what I am. It's actually a bit confusing. I eat, write, brush my teeth, blow my nose, and fire a rifle with my left hand. Most other things I do right-handed, particularly sports -- shooting hoops, throwing a baseball or football, etc. So I don't know if that makes me ambidextrous or not. I certainly don't use both hands equally well at the same activities (I can't write at all with my right hand, or throw with my left hand.)

As for the guitar, I play in the normal fashion. People have asked me before if I played left-handed; my response is that there's no such thing. Yes, I know how Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix and other left-handers have held the guitar. But playing the guitar requires both hands, no matter how you hold it. What McCartney does is play the guitar backwards. It would be as if left-handed pianists were seen perched up on top of the piano, so as to reach down onto the keyboard in reverse. Why bother?

In any event, I hope you plan on celebrating appropriately.