On being dexterous or not

Step with care and great tact And remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act Just never forget to be dexterous and deft And never mix up your right foot with your left. — Dr. Seuss

Ahh, dexterity! A friend asked me the other day if I miss having it. And I decided that maybe that was a good question to answer on the blog since if she was thinking it, maybe other people think it too.

I can understand how a person might think that having quadriplegia makes me yearn for dexterity, but I've learned there's more than one way in life to be dexterous- and deft. So let's break this down.

Dr. Seuss was right. Life's a Great Balancing Act. We can't do two things at the same time, disabled or not. And so the things I physically can't do no longer take up my time. Most of those things are mundane tasks.

Think about it. What have you done with your dexterity so far today? You- over there. Made the coffee. Hmm. Now that sounds like fun. And you? Sorted through coupons? Wow. I'm jealous. Not. And you? Ahhh. Typed on your computer. Me too - with voice recognition.

I'm not saying not having dexterity doesn't call for some planning. But if you look at what a person does with his/her dexterity in a day (let's say a pie chart) and break down the mundane tasks - or those you could do without doing - which I'd say is the largest part of the pie, then break down those tasks that can be done with assistance or an assistive device, you'd probably just have one piece of pie left. (Lemon meringue. I'll take it. )

So you see it's really true what my youngest nephew who has CP and deals with dexterity issues too said. "It's no big deal. Well, not unless you make it a big deal."

Which is true of practically anything in life.