One Hand Speaks

I was born and raised in a time when computers were not such a huge part of our culture and lifestyle. I like to say I was born analog. But currently, I live in a digital world. Most of my adult life has been spent on a computer, specifically an Apple computer. I have earned most of my money as a professional artist as a graphic designer and illustrator. Or as I like to say, "as a digital sculptor". I have been using a Macintosh computer as a professional for over twenty three years. Way...

Driving with one hand has some real funny, weird, and unique qualities. One interesting aspect is the relationship between what hand I am missing and the side of the car we drive from in the United States. I am fortunate to be missing my left hand driving on the left side of the car here in the United States. This means I can use my right hand to shift gears on my manual transmission. If I lived in Britain, driving a stick shift vehicle would be a bit more challenging. Yet, some things would...

Life with one hand is a life of being stared at as a person. In a real why I have spent my entire life on stage. Or at least it sure has felt like this to me most of my life. It took me a long time to realize this is one of the many benefits to living life with one hand. I have some very strong memories of the feeling of being stared at as a young child. Those experiences have stayed with me my entire life. The benefit of this is I am very comfortable being watched, looked at, and being...

I have been working at the same job for the past twenty years. I do not know how common this is anymore in our current times, but I have done it. And to take it to the extreme, I have worked in the same city in the same building in the same department and pretty much with the same person for those twenty years. People have come and gone in my department and in my small group, yet, I have worked directly with the same person for the past eighteen years. It is an interesting experience to...

My left foot does a lot for me. Since I do not have a left hand, my left foot has has learned to take the place of my left hand when needed. Over the course of my life my left foot has become very dexterous, agile, and adroit. I can do a lot with my foot that people do not expect. Additionally, my grip with my toes is mighty strong. So is my pinching power. As an artist and a sculptor I have spent a great deal of time crafting and building things. On many occasion you could find me in bare...

I must say I learned a lot about myself breaking both my collarbones. Thankfully, It did not happen at the same time. But I did break them in back-to-back or consecutive years. Over the course of my life I have always feared breaking my right wrist or hand and in a real way I still do. However, I must say that breaking my collarbones taught me so much about myself and my one-handed life. Especially breaking my right collarbone. I had no idea the clavicle did not much. I guess we do not truly...

People I have known for long periods of time do forget I do not have two hands. This is not the same as people I do not know not noticing I do not have two hands. The flavor of the experience of close friends forgetting about my one-handedness has a very special taste all on it's own. It most cases it can be real funny the things they say. But for me, it is the expression on their face that does it for me. These moments do not come up as much as other people not noticing I only have one...

This is just a quick slice of my life regarding my current situation. Truly an update as to what is going on in my life in 2019. In podcast #088 I talked about how this was "The Transition Year" for me. It is certainly unfolding in that manner. Right at the end of the first month of 2019 I am right smack dab in the middle of all kinds of change and transition. I am looking at starting a new job, teaching Aikido again and traveling to do Aikido, and my mother and I are looking for a new...

"Dogs attack me because I have one hand?" I had to repeat the question back to my house-mate because it sounded so odd to me. He said this to me after a long conversation we were having about my unbelievable history of dog attacks, dog chases, and number of times I have actually been bitten by dogs. I had told him about many of my experiences in the past, but it was not until we started to live together that he truly noticed how dogs reacted and responded to me. He is a "dog person" and...

Today I gave a safety presentation at my job. Working for the Bureau of Reclamation as a Federal Employee has a number of requirements. One of which is safety training. At first it was a bit difficult to decide on the topic. We do these every month and we often start to hear the same things over and over. My goal was to do something different. I decided on the topic of foot safety and safety shoes. Part of my decision was based on my love of shoes. The other part had to do with living a...

I love superheroes! I have loved and admired the idea of superheroes for as long as I can remember. I do not know a time where superheroes were not a part of my life. So much of this was because of how I was raised. My parents raised my two brothers and me on superheroes and science fiction. We had a family culture around these two subjects. I have so many great memories watching TV and going to the movies with my family. But it was the idea of what a superhero meant to me as a young...

I guess every year is a transition year in one form or another. The idea of transition has been in my thoughts for the past couple of weeks. Ringing in the new year can do that to us at times. We think about the past year while considering what the new year will bring. Many people make their lists of resolutions as a tradition. In a real way we can all look at that as a transition. I have never been a fan of making resolutions. And when asked I usually say, "I do not make resolutions." For...

One of the sweetest and most precious gifts I have every received for Christmas was given to me by one of my very young martial art students. I had great teens and kids classes at Three Shapes Aikido for the ten years I operated the dojo. Over the years I have acquired so many great memories of the all funny, sweet, and odd-ball things kids say and do. Christmas was always a special time at my Aikido school. Even though I am a devoted Buddhist I support the spirit of Christmas. We had...

I spend a lot of time interacting with children of all ages. Mostly they are the ones who initiate the conversation with their bold and inquisitive questions. At the same time, I am a pretty open and talkative person. Put these two things together and some really fun and meaningful conversations can arise. After living a lifetime with one hand I have noticed patterns in the questions kids ask me about my one-handed life. One question that comes up a lot with kids is, "How do you do things...

This is a short podcast about the differences in how adults and children view me. More specifically it is about the perception adults have in regards to how I interact with child as a one-handed person. This is just a subtle pattern I have noticed over time and it is something I wanted to share. This is just a slice of my one-handed life. Thanks for listening! I invite you to share this podcast, offer a comment, or leave some feedback. Show Notes: The difference in how children and adults...

This past November I turned 50 years old. I must say I am extremely excited about this next decade in my life. I have noticed a lot of people not-so-happy about turning 50 and in many ways I understand. However, I am on the other side of the life's coin. In fact, I do not think I have been so enthusiastic for an upcoming decade in my life. Certainly not so much in my 30's or 40's. Part of it has to do with the alternative of getting older not being as cool as being alive. Death in an...

I think it was almost 10 years ago I closed my martial art Aikido school here in Boise, Idaho. It has also been about that long since I have done any deep and consistent practice or training. After 10 years of living in my dojo and training everyday, not training was a much different experience. This past six months I have been practicing Aikido again on a committed and regular basis. This feels very good because I miss training in the martial arts. Two week ago I was taking my mother on a...

Stan Lee, the comic book writer, editor, publisher, and man behind so much of Marvel Comics died on November 12, 2018 at the age of 95. I was vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Kauai with my mother when we heard the news. We were both stunned as we felt the weight of his passing. My mother and I are huge fans of superheroes, comic books, and Science Fiction. Over the past eleven years we have deeply enjoyed what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has offered to us in the form of all the great...

My mother and I spent day days on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It has been her dream for the past 53 years to visit Hawaii. Ever since she saw the movie with Elvis Presley called, "Blue Hawaii" she has always wanted to go. So to repay the kindness of my mother I treated her to the vacation of her dreams. We had a most incredible time. This podcast is the story of one of the best days of the ten days we spent together on Kauai. Thanks for listening! I invite you to share this podcast, offer...

"I want to be a gypsy!" That is the answer my mother gave to me when I asked her what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. In her 70s my mother wants to do some international traveling. We spent a couple days talking about traveling and our ideas about traveling. The following day asked me to sit down. After a short pause she pulled out a piece of paper with a small list of written locations. "There are only five places I would like to visit before I die. I might be too old to travel...