Topic: Thirteen Thursday
"Hey Tige," I blurted out to Mr. Tiger, the pest who never lends a helping hand on Thanksgiving or any day throughout the year, "the hand! A neglected part of our bodies. Ever thought much about how the hand shapes our lives?"
'Can't say that I have, nor do I care,' he answered in an detached manner. 'On the other hand,' he added as he deliberately raised his own to make an unseen gesture, 'there are some perfectly good reasons to appreciate the hand.'
I cut him off as quickly as I could to state, "The hand is going to be the subject matter for Thirteen Thursday edition # 68."
'With the internet at your fingertips it shouldn't be too hard to hand out a stale look at the hand, which probably has been done before.' I let him win this hand of our conversation, coming back with a simple, "Thank goodness for copy and paste because the internet kinda goes hand and hand with collecting data , don't ya think?"
Before he could answer I proceeded with an assortment of 13 facts that I've highlighted from my observations, articles across the internet, and books I've read. I began my list with a quote from C.S. Lewis, who said,
1. "You play the hand you're dealt. I think the game's worthwhile."
2. Since it's Thanksgiving today I went with a picture of a construction paper turkey decoration that can be made from a child's hands and feet. 
3. 'The Hand: How its use shapes the brain, language, and human culture' was my next pick. I read over at Amazon.com an editorial review by Rob Lightner where he writes: The hand is, among other things, a complex symbol, representing both the creative and the prosaic. This blending of the spiritual and the mundane is what makes the hand unique, as it in turn makes us unique among animals. Neurologist Frank R. Wilson has taken on a heroic task: to explain the hand on both of these levels and to show us how we use these marvelous instruments to find and create meaning in our lives.
Publishers Weekly mentions more on Dr. Wilson's insights.
4. Neurologist Wilson (Tone Deaf and All Thumbs?) gathers arguments from anthropology, psychology and medicine, along with the personal stories of musicians, backhoe operators, puppeteers and prestidigitators, to demonstrate the centrality to intelligence of our human hand. His account of the coevolution of hand and brain through our primate ancestors is fascinating, and the science he sites is rigorous and profound. which leads to...
5. and image of American Sign Language.
6. My favorite sign is:
(I LOVE YOU)
7. Try this: Have someone fill a bag with familiar household objects. Shut your eyes and feel them with your bare feet. Can you guess what they are? Now try again, this time using your hands. You'll be able to feel the difference.
8. A touch of velvet, fur, rock, sand, water, or leather can all be distinguished.
9. Chirognomy, a form of Palmistry, is a assessment of the shape of the hand. Some say it is the outline of your personality. For instance it has been hypothesized that the size, shape and appearance of the hand is an outline of our personalities.
10. I have an Air Hand. According to this site, The Air hand has long fingers and tends to have an abundance of clear lines in the palm. Air types spend their time in the intellecual realms. They are curious and full of ideas. They thrive on nervous energy and may be prone to worry and stress. Air types are communicators and are often good at working with the public. However they may tend to intellectualize their feelings and can have difficulty with close, personal relationships. Astrologically, the Air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.
11. Fingerprints form in the womb.
12. Dr. by John Napier, author of Hands says, ''One of the saddest sights there is is to watch the hands of the mentally disturbed. When the brain is empty, the hands are still.''
13. I ended as I started; with a quote. "You can't shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi
