Working With My Hands

Working with my hands has never been my greatest strength.

I have always been better at grasping things with my mind and my heart than at building things with my hands. My hands tend to be more expressive than pragmatic.

There are a few things that I do well with my hands. I tend to talk with them, even when I am on my phone. I have learned new ways to work with my hands on my iPad, which helps me appreciate and enjoy them more. My hands are apparently better suited to a keyboard and a mouse than to hammers and saws.

I appreciate the good things about my hands. I have a good handshake. I wave well. I value the way things feel, like the heft of a book or the smoothness of polished wood or stone. I do not really understand anything or anyone until I have held it or touched them with my hands.

When I was very young, I was fascinated by watching the way a police officer directed traffic with his hands. It was one of the first things I decided I wanted to do when I was old enough. I sensed a deep power in the way the officer’s hands moved the cars around.

In some ways, working with people as a coach and spiritual director is the closest I can get to directing traffic. My hands point things out and ask questions, provide support and open new approaches, and it helps them see where they can go.

Maybe I am better at working with my hands than I thought I was.

What is the best work you do with your hands?

What will you touch in a new way today?

[Image by JonGenius]