What arm do you start with when putting on your shirt? I bet you don\u2019t know, not for sure. It\u2019s one of those things you do without thinking; your subconscious takes charge. Even if you try to figure it out the next time you get dressed, you still won\u2019t know, because you\u2019ll be thinking about it. It\u2019s hard to find out what your body does on its own. <\/p>\n
How about socks; which sock do you put on first? The right or the left? For me, it\u2019s left. That\u2019s the leg I can cross over my knee with the least amount of strain. I do it sitting down, but only since I became an old coot. I used to put on my right sock first. I\u2019d hop on my left foot and pull it on. I couldn\u2019t do that with my left sock. When I tried, I\u2019d lose my balance and start to topple over. Now, I sit on a chair. Eventually, I won\u2019t even be able to do that. I\u2019ll get down on the floor and get dressed like a toddler and then say,\u201d Somebody want to help me get up? <\/p>\n
Some people don\u2019t put on both socks at the same time. They put on a sock and then a shoe, and then the other sock and a shoe. Archie Bunker and his son in law Michael had a big fight about this on an \u201cAll in the Family\u201d episode. Archie insisted the right way was to put on a sock and a sock, then a shoe and a shoe. Michael was of the sock and a shoe, sock and a shoe persuasion. So, Archie called him a Meathead! <\/p>\n
This sock business is important, at least to us old coots. It\u2019s a critical part of our day. It\u2019s not as easy as it once was, back when we didn\u2019t give it a thought. Especially on a day when our back is acting up. If we drop a sock on the floor, we\u2019re in big trouble. We can\u2019t bend over and pick it up or slip it on like regular people. We have to get a coat hanger and either pick it up, or try to nudge it on to our foot. That\u2019s why you see us going around wearing a single sock every once in a while. It means we gave up trying to get it off the floor or got distracted and forgot to put it on. Sometimes, I don\u2019t wear any socks, on purpose. Too much trouble to put them on. It\u2019s what the hip, younger crowd does. It makes me sort of hip too?<\/p>\n
But, back to the \u201cwhich arm do you put in your shirt first\u201d question. If you don\u2019t know the answer, consider yourself lucky. If you do know the answer, well, you\u2019re an old coot like me who has no choice! <\/p>\n