These…HANDS

‘These…..Hands’

Have you ever stopped and thought about all the things your hands have experienced in your lifetime?

What creative ways do you use your hands? Are you able to connect with and appreciate nature with all of its beauty and legacy?

Do you communicate with others through expressing yourself with your hands? Use sign language to ‘speak,’ or shake hands as a greeting?

Several years ago I remember celebrating ‘HANDS ACROSS AMERICA.’ People from the east coast to the west coast all joined hands. It was a wonderful celebration of community and connection. I was a teacher at the time and remember the whole school getting involved with tracing little cutouts of themselves (almost like stick people) and after cutting them out they were displayed on the walls in the hallway. All the hands were connected from one end of the school to the other, it was beautiful!

Do you connect with others through touch? Is your hand shake firm, whimpy or in-between? Do you acknowledge your pet, help a child or lend someone a helping hand? I remember playing ‘Miss Mary Mack” and ‘Hands up’ during recess at school although my favorite activity was jumping rope. Did you ever get stuck being the one who had a longer turn ‘turning’ the rope because everyone was able to jump longer and enjoy it?

What purpose do your hands serve? Do you use them in your career?

Have you ever enjoyed playing a musical instrument? How many hours a day do you/can you spend at the computer playing wii or getting sucked into a video game?

Primarily all self-care is ‘hands on.’ Do you have a long ritual of taking care of your hair or lotioning your skin? Have you ever given yourself a hug?

How intimate are your hands? How do you enjoy sensuality?

Are you ever aggressive with your hands? Have you ever hit or hurt someone with them?

Have you ever dealt with an injury where you couldn’t use one or either of your hands? Life can be pretty challenging in that case. I admire people with amazing coping skills. My great-grandmother had to raise a family, take care of herself and a house with only the use of 1 hand.

Are you a Lefty or a Righty? Can you write with both hands?

Some people I know write with one hand yet play sports with the opposite hand.

Do you drive with your hands on 10 and 2 or do your own thing? I usually drive with only 1 hand.

How much driving can you actually do before your hands get tired?

Do you wear nail polish to go with all of your outfits? Wear a ring…or many?

Are your hands involved in any rituals or customs such as prayer? Meditation? Celebration? Expressive dance?

Have you nurtured others by cooking or baking something special for them? My favorite expression of this is baking and decorating cupcakes…mini ones. Sometimes it’s quite a challenge, other times, well…it’s a piece of…cake.