IDLE HANDS – BUSY HANDS
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
As I look at my hands, I see they are veiny and getting some spots on them. Oh, I still like to paint my nails and use hand lotion, but these hands have done a lot of things. When I was young I had my little hands in anything and everything.
Stop and think about your hands. What have they done? Changed a diaper? Fed a hungry child? Worked in a factory? Cooked? Sewed? Mopped? Clapped? Get in a cookie jar? Use those hands to wash dishes? Type on a computer? Do the dance Willie and the hand jive?
I know you have probably planted flowers, a garden, milked a cow, gathered eggs, maybe played an instrument or waved at someone. Remember the first time you held hands with somebody? I have read that just holding hands with someone can relieve stress and be a sense of comfort. Also did you know that elephants hold hands. They hold the tail of the elephant ahead of them with their trunk. This behavior is common among young elephants and the adults do it for emotional support. Holding the hands of a child protects them and makes them feel secure. You may see teens holding hands as a sign of interest in each other. But it’s always nice when your husband or partner holds your hand.
Clapping your hands usually mean that you approve of something. Sometimes hands are clapped to keep rhythm to a song or just because you are happy. There is a song called “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”
I recall teaching my kids when they were about a year old to clap to “Patty cake, patty cake, bakers man” We teach our babies to try and feed themselves and lots of times they don’t use a spoon. Many times, kids will eat a lot of finger food such as the little gold fish crackers and their little hands manage to find the way to their mouth.
We can raise our hands and praise the Lord, shake hands, drive, get dressed, hold tools to fix things, type, comb our hair, do sign language, roll out pies or cookies, wrap gifts, crochet, play cards and count money. Back in my day, we had no iPhones or computers. We did a lot of chores, read books and went to church. At church we used to clap our hands as we sang that old gospel music.
Today, kids hands are kept busy with iPhones, Facebook and the internet. Plus each job we ever do takes some type of hand movements. I have ran a cash register, waited tables, ran computers when we had a huge card system and wrote news from a computer. I also played the piano, and still play around on it. My hands and fingers are getting old but, so far, still working.
Sometime look at your Mother’s hands, they may be getting old, but that tender loving touch is still there. Hands that held yours, hands which soothed your head and caressed your cheeks when you cried. Look at Daddy’s hands, they have worked hard maybe planting crops, fixing things around the house, teaching you how to throw a ball but his strong hands shows that he has worked and loves his family.
Today, ladies go to a salon and get their nails done with bright colors and long nails. Of course these add a lot of color to your hands. I have a funny story to tell about artificial nails. My mom and I had gone to church on a Sunday morning. After welcoming everyone the pastor had us stand and sing a song from the hymnal. I was wearing some fake nails I had put on myself and as we were singing I had my hands holding the song book. And oh no one of my red painted fake nails fell off.
Sitting ahead of us was a couple standing and singing also. Somehow that fake nail fell off and slid down the pew seat in front of us. After we finished singing, we sat back down and listened to prayer requests and then we all stood up to pray. The man and lady sitting ahead of us stood up also and right on the seat of the man’s rear was my red fake nail.
I pointed it out to my mom and she said, “Just reach out and pull it off.” I said “ No. I am scared to do that.” Well mom and I held hands and prayed that the nail would just fall off, but it didn’t. The man sat back down and mom said,””Church is almost over, so let’s just sneak out the back door”
So that is what we did. I always wondered what and if that guy found that fingernail on his hind end or if he even noticed it.
We use our hands for almost everything we do whether we are right handed or left handed, but always make sure that if you wear fake nails to church , make sure they are glued on tight. There is an old saying that “Idle hands are the devils workshop” but you know, my hands sometimes feel like they want to be idle and that is when I just want to stop and think and rest.
Do you still hold hands or have you ever held hands? Are your hands always busy? And ladies have you ever lost a fake nail in church? And guys have you ever sat on a fingernail? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny For Your Thoughts.
