London's Legions of Lefties

Ho-Lee-Chow, it's been a nutty couple o' weeks!

And it still is, actually, but luckily I've made some time to spew a bit (Andy, Will, thanks for harassing me about the abysmal trickle of writing!) In my defense, most of my time and energy has been spent on my current housing crisis (about which I will not speak until it's resolved--but don't worry--I just know that a really sweet post will come out of it! I just need a home to come out of it first). But enough of that, here's what's been running around my head recently:

There are a lot of lefties in London. Now, for all of you south-pawed folks out there, I think you'll understand what I'm going to drive at. For the dextrous majority, what a sweet opportunity to hear it straight from the mouth (fingers?) of quite a sinister minority!

So, the thing with lefties (and I've polled many of us about this) is that we recognize each other immediately. Whether we mention it or not, we scan classrooms, public transit, grocery stores, and coffee shops, to suss out who among the people around us are in the club. And when we stumble upon such like-handed individuals it's as though we've found kindred spirits. Not that we're not friends with right-handed folk, but there is something fundamental that binds southpaws together and makes us more likely to become fast friends or at least good aquaintances. Maybe it's just due to a mental tick I've picked up from absorbing too much ink through the side of my hand, but roughly seven of my top 20 people for whom I've got loads of respect are left-handed. With lefties clocking in at only five percent of the population, this is an interesting stat. (Granted, the sample size could make for some skewed interpretations).

But back to London's plethora of lefties. I see them all--ALL--the time. I probably notice an average of about seven lefties a day. In Toronto, by contrast, I'd be lucky to spot one. The accumulated effect of spotting so many members of my particular minority subject group is a very strong sense of belonging. I walk onto the tube and spot southies doing crosswords or writing in a notebook and I feel like I've just walked into my crew's secret party lodge! It's quite nice.

What I don't know, and holla atcha girl if you've got any ideas about this, is why does there seem to be more lefties in London? Am I just more observant than I have been in the past? Does a larger proportion of the population--and as such a higher number of lefties--take part in activities requiring a writing utensil in public? Are there actually more left-handed individuals in London? Or, better yet, do I have OCD? I'd love to know what you think!

I'm dwelling, sorry. It's just an interesting puzzle.

Anyway, gotta jet.

Hope you're all well!

xo

H