Before that interview I never realized just how often I covered my hand.  Much of the time it is simply more comfortable.  My right arm is shorter than my left and as is my right hand.  So a normal sitting position of hands resting on one’s lap doesn’t work for me.  My right arm feels awkward, and even slightly painful.  It is physically uncomfortable and my arm/hand does not rest the same way my left side does.

So the easy solution is to clasp my hands together or have my left hand hold onto my right hand.  It’s all far less complicated than it seems, but it just works. And is comfortable.  It is mostly an involuntary habit — I do it without even thinking.

But not every situation produces such a reflex reaction.  Sometimes covering my hand is quite intentional and purposeful.

Pictures

I cringe when I see a photo of me in which my hand is visible.  I have no idea how others scan those pictures of me, but my eyes always immediately zoom to my hand — producing a sense of dread as now my hand is forever visible thanks to this photo.

Most of the time when someone asks, “Can I get a picture?” I am mindful of where my hand is and purposeful to make it not visible.  I don’t want my deformity, and the very thing that can cause so much frustration and even angst, to be immortalized in a picture.

Maybe that will change one day, but I suspect not.