Tuesday, November 25, 2008

THE HANDSHAKE

Dad told me to use my right hand to shake hands. I was two years old, maybe three, and I never could remember which one to use.
Then one day I was playing in the garage and I found a razor blade and nearly cut my left thumb off. I’m not sure how long the bandage was on there, but I shook the hands of at least three men during that period.
"That boy of yours sure knows how to shake hands" my Dads's pals would say.
Dad would just beam!

This is how I learned which hand to use when shaking hands.

2 comments:

petra michelle; Whose role is it anyway? said...

A nice tribute to your dad. You must miss him dearly! To be able to give him a big hug and even shake his hand!

Anonymous said...

Glad I didn't have to near cut my thumb off to learn a good handshake:)
I learned my right from my left at Beach Haven, New Jersey when I was about 4. The family was in the old Chrysler, looking for the drydocked ship the Lucy Eveline, and my mother said, "There it is on the right." My father turned that way, and I have an indelible mental snapshot of that ship and the direction we turned. I never said the Pledge of Allegiance without thinking of the Lucy Eveline.

I wish parents were still teaching their kids a good handshake, rather than a high five.