~ Left vs. Right *

I took my 4 year old daughter ice-skating.  I had not been on ice since I don't remember when, and it was her first time ever.  We were both scared when we first got on and proceeded to slip around right off the bat.  We both clung to the wall pretty tight for the first go round, and by the second, we were more comfortable.  By the third time around we were off the wall and skating carefully.

My daughter had fallen once while we were on our first loop and hurt her cheek a little ~ but she kept going and I told her how proud I was of her.  On the end of the third loop we had positioned ourselves so that I was skating forward and she was in reverse ~ she was leaning forward and I had both of her hands.  She was looking down, lost her balance and slipped right under my open legs; like a move from Greased Lightening.

I was holding her hands and trying to break her fall... and I went down...I knew as I was falling that I was going to land right on her little body, so I twisted my own body to land on my right side, but had to brace myself with my left hand. I did land on her a bit but not as much because I did twist myself to protect her.  I hurt myself more... but that is a mother's instinct.

I hurt my hand pretty bad and she had an egg on her head... we got pretty scared and left after that... She was crying ~ no blood.  Many people saw us and as it was embarrassing as well ~ we were also in pain.  A lady got us some ice and we calmed down in the lobby.

I did not feel the consequences of my injury until later that evening when I got home...  The inflammation came up in the evening and by that time she was fine but I was in utter agony.  I do not take painkillers.  I placed Arnica Gel and Traumeel ointment on my hand and wrist and wrapped an ACE bandage around it to keep it steady.  I went to lay down and rest.

The pain was very bad ~  a 10 on a scale of 1-10 and I just rested and tried to keep very still and breathe.  I did not take anything for the pain.  I became aware that I wanted the lesson that the pain was bringing. I opened my mind and spirit to it...

That night I slept well, but in the morning I was still in pain; however, it was not as bad as the night before.

I began to notice how much I needed my left hand and what jobs it did due to me not being able to perform certain tasks.  My right hand had to pick up the slack, but there were certain things that could not be done without my left hand.

I made a two column list of things my different hands did.  It was very interesting for me to look at this.

It reminded me of when I was 25 years old.  I crashed my bicycle and had a similar experience, but then I had lost the use of both hands.  My life completely changed at that point and I saw similarities to then and now having temporarily lost the use of one hand again.  I was going through a major change and I had let go of a very strong belief system that was not in my highest good.   These realizations did make me more aware back then.  So much so,  that I actually had a major spiritual awakening from this occurring.  This time, the same things was happening, but in a different more deeper way.  I was further along the road and the insight seems stronger now.

Here is the comparative list:

                 LEFT                                                   RIGHT                                
heavy lifting   [worker/slave]                          directs  [boss/leader]
holds things                                                   writes
types                                                            types & clicks mouse
much stronger                                               holds phone
less dexterous                                               more dexterous
more graceful                                                precise
creative receiver                                           creative giver          
slower                                                          faster
retrieves                                                       gives
picks up things                                              puts things back
gives things to right                                       takes things from left
more gentle                                                  more aggressive
helps                                                            does
supports                                                      dominates
braces                                                         busier - works harder
leaned on more [weighted upon]                  pushes, pulls, opens, closes - moves things
rinses dishes                                                washes dishes
monitors                                                      acts/action hand
makes things nice                                         makes things nice
smooths                                                      smooths
uses fork                                                     uses knife/cuts better
carries more                                                opens doors [holds keys]
follows                                                        leads


So... I thought... isn't that interesting...!  If the left side of the body symbolizes the FEMININE... and the right side symbolizes MASCULINE... I am having an interpersonal relationship within myself at every moment.

My hands show me how I am both the man and the woman in me.... ONE.   How these two appendages work together, relate and communicate depicts very clearly to me an partnership and a relationship within myself... my very own male and female within me!  

When I was 13 my parents divorced.  I felt a rift occur in me when they split up.  I felt like I was 2 people in one body and that these 2 parts of me separated... divorced.  I always felt as if they were alien to one another and in this injury I got to see just how alienated they were from each other.    My right hand was completely oblivious to how much the left hand helped it, supported it and gave to it.  Without the help of the left hand - the right hand was pretty limited.

I think that this can be viewed micro/macro ~ interpersonal relationships amongst ourselves ~ individually, as couples and as a society... the world at large.

My right hand had to wake up and take care of my left hand... it no longer had run of the show ~ dictating what was going to happen and when.  It now had to cradle, heal, take care of it's partner.  I found a new caring in my right hand for my left. It had to become the caretaker.  My left needed rest and healing...  and to be taken care of....

I remembered back to when I had my daughter... I always held her in my left arm.    As my daughter grew, I still carried her in my left arm, while my right did things that needed the dexterity.

The left was always weighted down and carried much, much more... I have piled 5 grocery bags on my left arm while the right carried one or two and the keys.


I think it is wise to become mindful of our two halves that make up the unity of one of us.  To see that we have within us this duality ~ shown in our different sides and by what we do with each side ~ can enlighten us to the world we create around us with each other and our children.... imprinting this pattern on our future generations.

With just some basic awareness and a shift toward caring; slowing down enough to take care of the side that works hardest... I can find a new balance in my life.  In my body alone, I do have signs of great stress that show on my left only... so in my mind... my body is not only showing how my masculine side is not caring enough for my feminine, but I also see it as a template for the world we live in where the feminine is disregarded in so many ways.

The whole society and world for that matter is geared for the masculine drive, perfectionism and production aspect to the detriment of the worker.  If you look at the list ~ you will see what I am saying...  When are we all going to realize that it is overdue time we take care of the feminine principles in ourselves, our bodies and our world?  Breast cancer is at its highest case in history... this disease is clearly a red flag to warn us that we are, as a culture/people, not nurturing our women enough.

I don't know how to change myself overnight... but I am hoping that this new awareness... a gift from inside... and from the ICE... will make some kind of dent in my own psyche to where I can shift something in me to better take care of my feminine side... so that I can better balance myself and make peace in me between these two facets which make me one whole and beautiful person... loving, caring and thriving on Earth.

:o)   I sincerely hope this helps you too... *~*~*

Namaste *


Janzee