I write with my right, except when I have to use my left

My abnormal gait is now normal. Hey, who knew, exercise works! So that's the good news.

Weird tendonitis (or tendinitis, depending where you're from) in my right arm is less desirable.  It's not the end of the world, but imagine a bad headache in your arm. A bad headache that gets worse at night. All night. Every night.

Also, I'm right handed and I could barely use my right hand this past week. Its mending nicely now.

So I've been teaching myself to write left-handed. It's going well. I first learned to do a leftie scrawl* a few years ago after a horse-riding accident†. After six months of effort I wrote like a six year old. This time around I decided to get serious and practice writing the way children do at school, using worksheets.

And guess what: it works. Tracing the letters really does show your hand what to do! One of the hardest things turned out to be making sure your round letters are round. My writing reminded me of the local graffiti: when our local "yoof" paint a tag, the letters are very spiky. I now wonder if they're using their non-dominant hand to disguise their handwriting? Or do they just think (mistakenly) that it looks cool‡? 

I haven't lost the use of my dominant arm for good, but this is the third time its been (temporarily) out of action, so it seems like a good idea to share the load.  At worst I've given my brain a much-needed workout. And gained a new appreciation for the persistence and determination of children aged 6-10.

Next I'm going to teach myself one-handed knitting. Yes, I am serious - ask Dr Google if you don't believe me.

*dignifying what I produced by calling it writing is a stretch.
† my sore arm may be lingering after-effects of this mishap.
‡ my archaic use of the term 'cool' and my lack of appreciation of tagging I have revealed how hopelessly middle-aged I am. But I'm pretty sure you guessed that anyway.