With only 10% of the world’s population that are left-handers you can safely say that we are a unique bunch.

I am a left-hander and I experience a multitude of problems each day. The reason for this is that most appliances and even social situations are designed for the right-handed person.

Let’s look at scissors for example. In primary school I had to learn to cut with my right hand (which I still do to this day) because there were not any stationary for us lefty learners.

The strangest part in school for me was when the other learners, asked me the same question over and over again when they saw me writing with my left hand: “Wow, are you left-handed?”

It is rather obvious seeing me writing with my left hand, you should be able to put two things together.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is something that has probably happened to all left-handers. If I replied, “well yes I am” – then I would get the following responses:

• I have a relative who is left handed.
• Left handers are so creative.
• How can you write like that?

The first response is quite comforting, knowing that they know left-handed people and that they are also interested in your “left-handedness”.

The second response is even better, because then you can tell them interesting facts and show them your creativity and left-handed prowess.

The final response is usually quite illogical, because you write with the hand you feel most comfortable with. Would we ask right handed people why they write with their right hand? No, we would not, we respect our right-handers rights (pardon the pun)

Writing in its own form provides a multitude of challenges. Sitting next to a right handed person in a class, lecture room or workshop, gives you little space to write and move your hand accordingly.

Your hands  usually get the awkward bump, and your arm gets so tired of writing in a confined space, sometimes even writing at the edge of your table. It’s those little things that have a way of getting to you sometimes.

Then there is the dreaded “ink stain” as I like to call it. This usually happens when your left hand goes across the paper, with the ink then rubbing against the palm of your hand. It leaves the paper messy, as well as your hand. Pretty irritating.

Another famous lefty, Leonardo da Vinci, at least countered this irritation, as he wrote from right to left!

One of the more devastating difficulties of being left handed is that we are more likely to die in tool related accidents. According to research 2500 left hander’s die tragically as a result of having to use right handed equipment. Chainsaw’s and other power hand saw’s are the main culprits.

Other “safer” difficulties include the problem of spiral notebooks, where the spiral section will continuously press against your hand – making writing an irritating task, instead of a pleasurable one in my view.

Other daily “tools” I use that are made for right handed people are can-openers..sigh#..and game controllers. I wondered if I would’ve been a better gamer if I could use my left hand to press the action buttons on the controller? Alas, because of our right handed world, we might never know.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for left-handers. Left-handers are said to be more flexible to adjust to their surroundings. We are being able to perform better with our right hand, than right handers with their left hand.

It is also sometimes better to be left-handed, when for instance, drinking games are played. Sometimes rules are made that everyone should use their left hand. No problem for us lefties then, as we just continue as we have done before. Instant advantage.

There will still always be difficulties as we are constantly singled out in society. It’s up to left-handers to embrace it.

Nobody said that being left handed was going to be easy? At least it is all worth it in the end.