Single handed effort

Blame it on luck or sheer timing but November 9th proved to be a real hard blow. Should I say ARMageddon ???

The birthday party was utterly chaotic considering the thirty odd people trying to make their presence felt in a room ideal for three. Everything was fun until a random kick by god-knows-who landed on my right hand, instantly breaking my ulna bone in two.

Nobody in the room, including me could believe (we refused to believe) that it could be something serious, until I realised that I no more had control over my wrist. Amidst immediate attention with sprays, ointments and pain killers I was already sure my two hands were no more similar. Not until writing this did I realise that they never are going to be. Thinking of it now, I could have challenged them about a broken bone.. I would have won it hands down.

The consequences and the pain are too much to HANDle. The cast was restrictive enough to hamper my elbow movements too. The days following the accident were characteristically different with me realising how dependent I have been on one hand. But I thought I was RIGHT in doing so. Inspite of all my friends offering me a helping "you-know-what" there were lots of things that were too difficult to manage...

It took me a while to digest that my typing speed was one-tenth what it was. Technically shouldn't it just be half ? My mouse became left handed. Spoon replaced the fingers. Bowl instead of the plate - that makes more sense .. two plates in one hand is redundant...

It WAS irritating and clumsy to be eating like that initially but on the "other hand" it was definitely a learning experience.
I learnt that 5 minutes is normal time to wear shoes. I learnt that the shirt pocket was made for the right handed. I learnt taking a dollar out of the wallet is seriously worth the money. I learnt that my hand writing doesn't matter much when I write with my left hand. I learnt that you might end up having less number of plastic covers, a painful shoulder and a hour less if you want to take a bath... I learnt the complexity of parallax while combing and shaving..

Beyond the tears.. Beyond the sorrows.. there were more meaningful lessons I learnt.. Whatever be the situation, friends and family would always be there to support you. No matter what.. life goes on......

Eventhough this might have been a oft repeated diwali warning said almost every year.. this year coming through the phone from Amma who was totally oblivious to the facts made so much more sense and brought down a trickle of tears.. "Paathu da... pattasu vedichena use the long agarbathi.. match stick vechu koluthi.. kaila patukadha"
[[[In case you burst crackers use the long agarbathi.. Do not hurt yourself using a matchstick]]]