WriterByNature.com

There’s nothing like a badly-injured dominant hand to give you a reality check. I’m right-handed, with a severe bruise. I didn’t break any bones - but the pain is remarkably close to what I felt when I broke a bone years ago.

Three days later, I can brush my teeth and saw through a piece of celery with my left hand. I’m only able to keystroke with the aid of pain medication. I am lucky. What if I had to deal with this kind of injury in a survival situation?

OK - pause to shudder. Now here’s a plan to get used to using your non-dominant hand to perform certain basic tasks. It’s fun when you choose to do it - and a major convenience when you need it.

This plan, along with my pocket survival kit, gives you a head start when life hands you a surprise.

Phase One:
As you go through your day, make a list of all the things that it takes two hands to do - tie your shoes, drive a car, floss your teeth, type an article. Keep adding to this list until you have covered every task you think of in 24 hours.

Prioritize these activities in terms of what you find yourself doing most often. Now sort that list into things you can work around - I have slip on hiking shoes for 3-season hiking in case I cannot lace my hiking boots - and things you need to learn to do one-handed.

Phase Two:
Practice practice practice. Start at the top of your list. Pick one of your top three tasks and trying doing it one-handed with your non-dominant hand. It will seem to take forever. What’s incredible is how, by the sixth try, you actually improve. When I was learning to saw wood, the rhythmic motion helped me build stamina. It’s that muscle memory and a serrated knife that helped me cope with the celery.

Now that I’m dealing with this in real life, I am glad that I practiced using a knife and a hand-saw. I found that even without the ability to grasp or lift, I could use the weight of my hand or arm to steady something. I can use the crook of my elbow or my shoulder to hold or lift.

Thanks to shortcuts, I can even keystroke using two fingers, with amazing speed. I am grateful that I have access to pain killers and central heating. I’m sure I’ll be an arthritic little old lady (LOL- double entendre) as I continue to age. But I’ll be a prepared LOL.