September 25, 2025
I’ll admit it,I’ve tried brushing my teeth with my “wrong” hand. It felt like I was giving a toddler permission to take the wheel on the highway. The toothpaste went everywhere, and I was half-convinced I’d jab my gums into early retirement.
But here’s the funny thing: that awkward little experiment actually made me more aware of what I was doing. Brushing my teeth, something I usually do on autopilot, suddenly required my full attention. It wasn’t graceful, but it was alive.
We spend so much of our lives letting routine carry us. Coffee, commute, emails, rinse and repeat. Switching hands, feet, or even sides of the bed shakes things up. It wakes up parts of the brain that would otherwise snooze through the day.
Think about it: writing a word with your non-dominant hand looks like hieroglyphics. Throwing a ball with the wrong arm? You look like you’re acting out a blooper reel. But the process reminds us how much practice and repetition went into mastering the “normal” way in the first place.
It also makes me wonder, what else in my life do I just do because it’s comfortable? What habits could use a little left-handed shake-up? Maybe I should try answering emails standing on one leg. Or cooking dinner with the spatula in the “wrong” hand. Worst case scenario, I burn the onions. Best case? I find a new rhythm.
So yes, I switch it up sometimes. Not because I want to be ambidextrous, but because it reminds me I’m not a machine. And because life’s more fun when we occasionally let the toddler behind the wheel.
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💬 Your Turn
So… do you ever switch up the dominant hand or foot that you do things with?
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