Right-Handed Writing

For years now, I’ve been writing with my left hand.

You know how it is. You’re doing something that isn’t among your skills or gifts. You do it because you think you have to. You have to pay the mortgage. You have to because your boss is depending on you. You have to because you’ve been doing it a long time, and it’s too late to change.

Even though you’ve been doing it a long time, it’s still uncomfortable. It still feels awkward. You feel like you’ll always be catching up.

Have you ever written with your right hand? Have you ever done some work that felt natural, that felt too easy to be work? You almost felt guilty for calling it “work” because it came so easily that it seemed to happen in spite of you.

You still had to put forth effort. It came naturally, but it still had to be honed, as a diamond is honed from carbon. But it was there, part of you, just waiting to be developed. You delighted in seeing that diamond emerge.

Left-handed writing doesn’t feel like that. Whatever that is for you, it never feels natural. It never comes easily, even after years of practice. It might be acceptable, even good – maybe even excellent. But it never comes naturally. It never feels as if it’s part of you.

I’ve done both right-handed and left-handed writing, so I know the difference. Right-handed writing feels like a gift. I still have to work at it. It doesn’t spring forth fully formed the first time around. But I know there’s a diamond there, and I know that I will reveal it, so I’m willing to chip away patiently until the glory emerges.

I never feel at ease when I’m writing with my left hand. Even after years of doing it, it doesn’t feel easy or natural. It may look alright from the outside. It might even look good. But it’s a constant effort, done in the constant awareness that what I’m doing is not natural for me.

It’s time to start writing with my right hand again. It’s time to do something that, although demanding, comes naturally. It’s time for the diamond to emerge.

(Photo courtesy of Cathryn Lavery – Unsplash)