Have you ever had a moment where you realize something and feel incredibly dumb for not realizing it sooner than you did? Whether it’s solving a puzzle, a riddle, or something that perplexed you? Well, I’d like to get real with you, because for me, there’s a special skill in the world that takes me a hot minute to recognize. Once I finally do, it makes me feel like the dumbest person in the world.
As a kid, I played a lot of Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. I enjoyed journeying with Link, the protagonist, around Hyrule and watching him swing his sword as I pushed the buttons. I knew how he wielded his weapons and performed his attacks. He always wore his sword and shield on his back and carried his sword in his left hand.
Occasionally, my brother and I would make our own sword and shield out of cardboard and I distinctly remember trying to mimic Link by holding the weapons the same way he does: sword in the left and shield in the right. However, it felt very wrong and that confused me. I remember thinking that the sword in the left hand is how Link does it, so that must be right. The game makers would’ve studied swordplay to have Link’s movements be correct. Yet, I felt better carrying my sword in my right hand. It didn’t make sense to me.
Fast forward to when Twilight Princess came out on the Wii and it finally occurred to me that Link was left-handed.
And, now, my most recent blunder has been watching my favorite swordsman on the anime One Piece. He always carries his swords on his right side and it partly made sense to me since he always pops one of the swords out of its sheath with his right thumb, but there was a disconnect in my mind on how he fully draws the blade.
Laying in bed several months later, it finally clicks that the swordsman wears his swords on his right side because he’s left-handed.
I believe the statistic is that there’s more right-handed people in the world than left-handed people. So, I’m glad that the creators of these characters I love so dearly have this subtle trait to them. However, I have to laugh at the fact that this trait of theirs makes me feel very dumb.
I am a right side dominant person. My right hand is dominant, my right leg is dominant, my right eye is dominant, and I am right brain dominant as well. So, it’s hard for me to fathom doing something with my left side. Kicking a ball with my left won’t be as good as with my right. If I try to look through a telescope, I’ll likely smack my left eye with it first when I wouldn’t smack my right. Trying to write with my left hand causes my brain to scream nineties computer dialup tones. I won’t brace a vegetable I try to chop with my left hand because I don’t want to risk harming myself. Even punching in numbers on a keypad with my left hand feels like I’m trying to do rocket science.
As proven, it takes a hot minute for me to recognize a character as left-handed when they appear in my favorite games and shows. I try to rationalize how they do what they do as if they’re right-handed before the obvious answer finally clicks. I have a coworker who’s left-handed and I’ve caught myself watching them do things with their left hand like they’re performing some sort of sorcery. It’s genuinely fascinating and I am kind of jealous. I do wish my left hand was more talented, but the simple uniqueness makes me smile.
I’m right side dominant. There are people out there who are left side dominant. Then there are people who are a bit of both. It’s incredible. Something that makes my brain scream nineties computer dialup noises is like second nature to someone else. It makes me appreciate all the little differences between people even more. We’re all human beings, but we’re not all same.
I will probably continue to blunder in recognizing left-handed people and characters, but I’m hoping the time it takes me to realize it shortens every time. It’s incredible how something so simple can make you feel like a dumb, terrible person. So, what are some things that make you pause and say “Wow. I’m dumb?”
nikki diekemper 