Saturday, January 07, 2006
Look Ma! No Hands!
For some reason, my hands have really been sore this winter. Well, I sort of know why. I overdid it in December. All those Christmas activities like wrapping presents, addressing envelopes, hanging decorations took their toll. I have three swollen fingers on any given day--and your guess is as good as mine as to which will be the lucky fingers! Do you know how difficult it is to do things when you can't bend your finger?
I'm not one to just not do things. When faced with this latest challenge, I've had to put my little used brain to work. What things do I have to do? And, how can I do them without hands?
There are ways to minimize hand abuse. I put bandaids around sore fingers to remind me not to bend them. I can open some doors with my toes and others with my elbows. And my knees do a pretty good job of shutting them. Lights can be turned on with an arm (you can also use your nose or chin in desparate situations). I try not to carry anything with my fingers. My hands, wrists, and arms can hold most things. I also use a towel or wash rag to turn things that are too difficult to grip.
It isn't always easy finding a replacement for your hands. Certain body parts aren't suited for finger work. For instance, you have to have hands to brush your teeth. There's just no way getting around it (unless you ask someone else to do it and I don't know many love ones who would go that far!)
It's kind of funny because when I was a kid I used to think of all sorts of creative ways to do things rather than using my hands. Little did I know that I would have to employ those methods as a means of survival! If I'd know, I would have written them down.
I'm not one to just not do things. When faced with this latest challenge, I've had to put my little used brain to work. What things do I have to do? And, how can I do them without hands?
There are ways to minimize hand abuse. I put bandaids around sore fingers to remind me not to bend them. I can open some doors with my toes and others with my elbows. And my knees do a pretty good job of shutting them. Lights can be turned on with an arm (you can also use your nose or chin in desparate situations). I try not to carry anything with my fingers. My hands, wrists, and arms can hold most things. I also use a towel or wash rag to turn things that are too difficult to grip.
It isn't always easy finding a replacement for your hands. Certain body parts aren't suited for finger work. For instance, you have to have hands to brush your teeth. There's just no way getting around it (unless you ask someone else to do it and I don't know many love ones who would go that far!)
It's kind of funny because when I was a kid I used to think of all sorts of creative ways to do things rather than using my hands. Little did I know that I would have to employ those methods as a means of survival! If I'd know, I would have written them down.
