Lefty Typing

11 Aug 2020

Which thumb do you primarily use on the space bar? I’m left-handed and thus I use my left thumb to space.

The last time I trimmed my fingernails, I cut the nail on the outside edge of my left thumb too short.

I’m a person who primarily communicates through typing and this is understandably causing me a bit of distress. As an experiment, I attempted to type with my right thumb in order to avoid the pain. In so doing, I entered an entirely separate world of pain.

Spacing with my right thumb sent me back to my first days typing, in Keyboarding with Mr. Schafer. My entire right hand froze up when saddled with this new responsibility while my left flew across its domain with aplomb, freed from the tedium of separating words.

We settle into patterns in our work, whether we’re aware of them or not.

The awareness that I had of every action of my right hand caused me to slow down and make more mistakes. It created an uncomfortable tension all the way up my arm. It separated my hands from my thoughts just far enough that everything started to fall apart.

I didn’t like it at all, and decided that I’d work through the pain for now, just to get this task done.

That there are times where it’s appropriate to lean into this tension, to let it wash over you. Things as trivial as which thumb you space with are low-stakes opportunities to make yourself uncomfortable (and with some effort, improve your typing speed too!)

My therapist tells me that self-care isn’t always about doing the easiest thing. If we don’t address the core concerns of existence, eating and bathing and dressing, our self-esteem plummets.

So, when an opportunity presents itself to step out of your comfort zone, to try something that’s hard or expose a weakness, take it. Especially if it’s trivial.

It’s good practice for when you really have to step up.