Get to Know Me Monday – No. 3

My Hands

I’d like to talk to you today about my hands. My silly, curved, chubby little hands.

When I was born both of my pinkies were crooked. The doctor told my parents that they would straighten out as I grew up. The doctor was wrong. As it turns out, I have a form of Clinodactyly. (Clinodactyly is a medical term describing the curvature of a digit.) It’s a genetic condition, though I don’t know of anyone else with crooked fingers in my family.

It was embarrassing when I was younger. Children didn’t have the kindest reactions, and adults weren’t much better. I spent a lot of time tucking my fingers into my hand, not letting them show, and being hyper-aware of their strangeness.

Now, I rarely think of them. They do get sore when I type because they don’t reach the keys the way normal pinkies would. If anything, I’m a little proud of my quirky digits.

Those of you of a certain age might have learned how to print and write in cursive in the D’Nealian method. I remember a very official handwriting teacher coming to my elementary school. He walked up and down the rows of desks correcting or praising our handwriting.

I was a little full of myself, quite sure I had the most beautiful penmanship in my class. Imagine my dismay when this gentleman stopped at my desk to tell me that I was holding my pencil wrong! There’s nothing that a child loves more than being singled out for being different. He made such a fuss, and his face showed such confusion. He manipulated my hand into the “correct” grip. I tried to maintain his correction, but it was impossible.

In doing research I’ve learned that there are more than a few different pencil grips, and that none of them cause legibility or speed problems (according to a 2001 study). Thanks a lot, D’Nealian guy! I still use the dynamic quadrupod grip, so sue me.

Now, I’m not supposed to talk about my latest hand drama stemming from the fractured humerus I suffered in October of 2019. It pains me to be silent about it because one of the most effective ways for me to work through something is to write/talk about it. Alas!

I can tell you that I ordered a few silicone rings from Enso because they fit comfortably on a hand that is far from comfortable.

A few fast facts about my hands:

1. I love manicures but haven’t had one since the accident I mentioned above
2. My fingers are short and chubby
3. I have a small brown birthmark on the inside of one of my wrists. A babysitter once tried to scrub it off because she thought it was dirt
4. My fingernails are brittle and pitiful
5. My (latest) favorite hand lotion is Hempz. Oh no, I just saw that they have a limited edition pumpkin spice & vanilla chai scent…

That’s it for this Get to Know Me Monday. I hope some of you will play along. I’d like to get to know you better!