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going to complete crap? I had to hand write out a thank you card, scrapped the first one on account of mistakes (!) and on the second one I needed to write the word information, ran out of space and trailed the tion down the side of the margin. Something I would have NEVER done in the past and am actually allowing that to go to the receiver because--I gave up.

I used to have the prettiest hand writing. Not bragging. I could hand letter anything and was actually asked to do so many times over the years. I once wrote a sealing announcement for an LDS co-worker who saw me writing in calligraphy using a fountain style calligraphy pen at work on breaks. I'm wondering if it's because my brain is going or that I type out everything on a keyboard so there is not much occasion to actually keep my penmanship intact?

I think I'm going downhill on a not-quite-yet-illegible toboggan.

Feeling embarrassed and down on myself,

I’ve been writing in block letters for-ev-er. I think you’re onto something with regard to typing and getting away from handwriting. The upside for us olds is we can write in cursive, so yeah, basically secret code as far as zoomers are concerned.

- Doc

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 1:43 am

I’ve been writing in block letters for-ev-er. I think you’re onto something with regard to typing and getting away from handwriting. The upside for us olds is we can write in cursive, so yeah, basically secret code as far as zoomers are concerned.

- Doc

Thanks Cam. You don't know how embarrassed I was to write (?) that post but curiosity got the best of me and I had to find out if anyone else notices this. I've thought about it since I wrote (?) the post and I tried to analyze reasons for the obvious deterioration of my penmanship.

1. There is nothing wrong with my hands.
2. I don't have tremors or any condition like that.
3. There's nothing wrong with my vision.
4. I rarely write anything. Maybe fill out a voter card, ballot, sign the occasional document or something. I don't even sign checks any more. I make hand written lists every day but they aren't neatly made.

This was my experience as I observed myself writing the card. First, I printed the whole card not cursive. I noticed that it felt awkward. Like my brain wasn't keeping up with my hands and so I made mistakes. Like I skipped a letter in two words on the first go. And I was mortified that I let that second version go to the recipient. He won't mind it, but I do. I'm a perfectionist. That doesn't mean I think I do things perfectly. It means that I think I should and I knock myself out trying to achieve what is likely the impossible. So yeah, mortified.

The teacher side of me is convinced that I suffer from lack of practice. As I said, I have been asked many times over the years to hand letter and even write cards for folks because my hand writing was 'pretty' and I could produce different styles of writing. I also did hand lettering on craft signs and that sort of thing.

I know what to do to support children who are learning to write. Apparently I now need to use those techniques on myself. If a child can build fine muscles of the hand through various methods then it follows that an adult can lose fine muscle strength through lack of practice and keyboard/padding all the time.

Thanks again for the reply.

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 12:02 am

going to complete crap? I had to hand write out a thank you card, scrapped the first one on account of mistakes (!) and on the second one I needed to write the word information, ran out of space and trailed the tion down the side of the margin. Something I would have NEVER done in the past and am actually allowing that to go to the receiver because--I gave up.

I used to have the prettiest hand writing. Not bragging. I could hand letter anything and was actually asked to do so many times over the years. I once wrote a sealing announcement for an LDS co-worker who saw me writing in calligraphy using a fountain style calligraphy pen at work on breaks. I'm wondering if it's because my brain is going or that I type out everything on a keyboard so there is not much occasion to actually keep my penmanship intact?

I think I'm going downhill on a not-quite-yet-illegible toboggan.

Feeling embarrassed and down on myself,

Bless your heart, Jersey. I’ll pass my book Aging Faithfully to you once I receive it and read it.

I have days where my penmanship is okay and others where it’s like my writing hand has a mind of its own— I’m talking like the hand is having synapses separate from my the ones in my brain. My printing is now better than my cursive.

I feel your pain.

msnobody wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 4:16 am

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 12:02 am

going to complete crap? I had to hand write out a thank you card, scrapped the first one on account of mistakes (!) and on the second one I needed to write the word information, ran out of space and trailed the tion down the side of the margin. Something I would have NEVER done in the past and am actually allowing that to go to the receiver because--I gave up.

I used to have the prettiest hand writing. Not bragging. I could hand letter anything and was actually asked to do so many times over the years. I once wrote a sealing announcement for an LDS co-worker who saw me writing in calligraphy using a fountain style calligraphy pen at work on breaks. I'm wondering if it's because my brain is going or that I type out everything on a keyboard so there is not much occasion to actually keep my penmanship intact?

I think I'm going downhill on a not-quite-yet-illegible toboggan.

Feeling embarrassed and down on myself,

Bless your heart, Jersey. I’ll pass my book Aging Faithfully to you once I receive it and read it.

I have days where my penmanship is okay and others where it’s like my writing hand has a mind of its own— I’m talking like the hand is having synapses separate from my the ones in my brain. My printing is now better than my cursive.

That's what I'm talking about! It's weird!

I feel your pain.

Awww, bless your heart, Weaps.

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 12:02 am

going to complete crap? I had to hand write out a thank you card, scrapped the first one on account of mistakes (!) and on the second one I needed to write the word information, ran out of space and trailed the tion down the side of the margin. Something I would have NEVER done in the past and am actually allowing that to go to the receiver because--I gave up.

I used to have the prettiest hand writing. Not bragging. I could hand letter anything and was actually asked to do so many times over the years. I once wrote a sealing announcement for an LDS co-worker who saw me writing in calligraphy using a fountain style calligraphy pen at work on breaks. I'm wondering if it's because my brain is going or that I type out everything on a keyboard so there is not much occasion to actually keep my penmanship intact?

I think I'm going downhill on a not-quite-yet-illegible toboggan.

Feeling embarrassed and down on myself,

My handwriting was never particularly beautiful, but it was legible to almost anyone who had learned cursive. I tried writing something in cursive just before I started this post and it still seems legible (to me, at least), though worse than it used to be. Whenever I have to write something out by hand, I painstakingly print it out without using cursive. There is no doubt in my mind that the deterioration is only due to lack of practice, because I have become so accustomed to usually having a keyboard available when I need to write something. About the only times I use cursive anymore is when signing a check or official documents that require my signature.

Sometimes Reformed Egyptian characters come up on my grocery list.

Moksha wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:42 am

Sometimes Reformed Egyptian characters come up on my grocery list.

ROFL! See, Jersey, you are not alone.

Oh God, it was at least 15 years ago when I began to realize my handwriting was nearly completely gone. Not only did I have to struggle to write a legible sentence, but my hand got tired after 20 seconds of writing. It is what it is. Who really needs to write anymore? Everything seems to be done electronically.

Incidentally, I'm in an attorney's office at least three times a month watching clients sign papers. They complain about the same thing, but word on the legal street is that manual signing is soon to be a thing of the past as well, even at the closing table.

I've always been deeply envious of people with nice handwriting, not even pretty but just reasonably neat. As long as I've been writing it has been terrible for me. Both block and cursive. I can read my own cursive but that is about it, couple that with some short hand things I picked up during school and my coworkers all whine about my notes.

The only way I can write legibly for others is to slow WAY down, to the point that my hands have a very difficult time keeping up with my thoughts. I still handwrite letters for my wife and the youngest (I always love getting legit mail so I try to return the favor) but I have to type them out first then just transpose them in to handwriting to have any hope.