Handwriting

One thing that I get complimented on most often: my handwriting.

Probably more unique than aesthetically pleasing or genuinely "good," either way my handwriting seems to draw compliments. It's inconsistent at best, a rolling scrawl most days. It's a combination of old-world cursive and school girl round print. It leans hard to the right and the tails dip far below the the accepted line. One world flows into the next and most letters have more loops than necessary.

I grip my pen between my middle and ring finger, wrapping my thumb tightly around the top--a method my elementary school teachers hated. One even told me I would never learn to write if I continued that way. I guess we have different definitions of "learn to write."

At one point, probably seventh grade, I dotted my i's with a little circle. Now I use no dot at all. I also used to write the letter F backwards; it was some sort of rebellion against the man. In fifth grade, Mrs. Ryburn made me stay in from recess quite often because I needed to work on my penmanship. I traced her words on the blackboard for 20 minutes while my friends played kickball. I never did master a cursive capital G.

I love studying the handwriting of my friends and coworkers. The way they script says so much about who they are and how they learned to write. It's fascinating--especially the science behind it, something I will never understand.

Here's a sample of my writing. Anyone smarter than me, feel free to analyze my life from the way this looks:

What do you get complimented on the most?  Anything surprising?