I threw down my pencil in irritation yet again. A homework assignment that should only take about 20 minutes had taken up almost an hour of my time, and although I told myself that I was done for the day I knew I was lying to myself; there was no doubt that I would return within a short span of time to re-attempt the absurd notion of writing with my non-dominant hand.

The concept of writing with your opposite hand does not seem quite as difficult as it actually is. We have been perfecting our handwriting since we were 5 and 6 years-old, but it is not as easy as just transferring knowledge over to another part of your body. Still, I’m sure that if I did not obsess about how awkward the movements are, the practice should not be that difficult.

As I went back to try to finish my calculus assignment, despite knowing that I would inevitably give up after countless attempts, I could not help but wish I had practiced writing with my other hand at an earlier point in time in order to prepare for a situation like this. I thought of all the spare time I had used up in the past doing literally nothing when I could have been practicing my lefty handwriting. It won’t seem that important once I’m healed, but currently it is my greatest regret.

After fracturing my knuckles, I realized that I took many things for granted because they seemed so simple. Everyday activities became much more difficult when attempting to perform them solely with your other hand. It became intensely challenging to eat, brush my teeth, twist anything from bottle caps to door knobs, wash my left armpit, and… well, you know…

The severe difficulty that came with having to cope with a useless dominant hand made me consider several things. First off, I am still young; meaning I am adaptable, merely at the threshold of my capacity for knowledge, and not experienced enough to be “set in my ways”.

Then my old 102-year-old Turkish great grandmother popped into my head. Yes, she is wise, but her mind is completely filled with everything that she has learned and there is little to no room for much else to be added on. Her wisdom is not adaptable but rather very set in stone; she has been accustomed to her same actions and routines for many times the number of years I have even been alive. If she were to break her dominant hand at her current state, I cannot think of any plausible way for her to be able to handle her day-to-day necessities by herself. She would need some sort of aid.  I guess I will just try to stay out of physically demanding activities when I get to that age

Dealing with the cast and my inability to function properly for two weeks finally wore me out. I gave up on trying to learn how to write or do anything with my opposite hand; it just took too much effort.

I took off my cast by myself at home, using some good old chemistry. Soak the cast in vinegar water for about 15 minutes, peel some off then cut the rest with some heavy-duty scissors.

Now I’ve gone back to my daily routine and have put off changing my whole lifestyle for when I grow old, get married, have children, and wear crocs.