Life, Made Possible by Opposable Thumbs

I had no idea how important it is to have opposable thumbs. I guess you never appreciate something until you don't have it. Not that I don't have a thumb - I just have limited use of my left one. Last Monday while cutting pineapple I managed to cut a sizable chunk off the end of it. I mean enough that I thought, "I wonder if I need stitches" except I don't know how they could sew back on the small piece that was completely severed. Yeah, we're all about severing body parts in this house. At least I refrained from shaking my thumb in response to the pain like Erik did when he cut his finger. There are still splatters of blood on the refrigerator.

It didn't stop bleeding completely for about 24 hours. That's right, feel sorry for me. But my point is that it's amazing what I can't do now that all the nerves in the end of my thumb are exposed. I tried to do beading with Megan the other day. It was excruciatingly painful. I had to quit. I can't open things with caps. I can't text message, which in Singapore is essential. And the list goes on. Maybe it sounds minimal, but observe throughout your day how many times you use the end of your thumb.