Man from the South
The man from the south is a short story about a betting man and a solider he encounters on a sunny day at the pool. In the story the betting man habitually bets his car or the cutting off of a finger. In the end we come to find that his wife has been betting him for quite some time and has lost three fingers in the process.
For the purpose of this blog post I will be focusing on the wife and her unfortunate finger loss. She has been left with a thumb and index finger. Many activities of daily life will be affected but since it is told in the story she has a car I have decided to focus on her ability to drive. Driving will be affected because the wife will have trouble gripping the steering wheel with only two fingers. The typical grip for holding a steering wheel would be a power grip however with only a thumb and index finger this may be challenging. Strategies to combat this barrier would be grip strength exercises to improve pinch grip. 1 modification I came up with would be adding velcro to the steering wheel and making her a velcro glove. This way she can use her palm and ensure that it is on the wheel, while using grip from the two fingers to turn the wheel back and forth.
I agree that the velcro would be an acceptable modification for the wife when driving. It allows her the ability to still drive and maintain her independency even with just two fingers.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea! I have also seen steering wheel adaptations that just need pushing ability with a finger, which could be another option! Not being able to drive is something that many of us take for granted and this is a great reminder to be thankful!
ReplyDeleteGood thing the lady came in when she did or she may not have had a vehicle to drive! I would never have thought about using a velcro glove to secure her hand to the wheel. This will allow her safety to not let go of the wheel as well as allow her to continue this occupation.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me in the story that she still had a car to drive considering the fingers she has lost because of all the bets! I love your idea of using a velcro glove to ensure her hand stays on the wheel. While reading your blog I was somewhat floored at how we take the little things, like driving, for granted and wasn't even aware of what all goes into it! Great blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic idea! I never have thought about how losing a pinky can disrupt the occupation of driving. The modification of using a velcro glove is a cool idea to help her adjust to driving without her pinky. It is also something that is very inexpensive.
ReplyDeleteI like that you mentioned driving for the wife. Driving is something we take for granted every single day! we truly need a strong grasp on the steering wheel to not only navigate our way around the roads but to also ensure safety. I love the idea of velcro on the steering wheel! very creative.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post, Maddy! The use of driving is definitely taken for granted and I never even considered this when that was mentioned in the story. It would be such a challenge for her to do most things, but driving is such a critical part in most of our lives. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderfully creative! Great post and comments!
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