I wonder this exact thing, given that soil is a living organism full of beneficial bacteria and other organic materials. The food we eat consumes it, takes what it needs, and then we do the same.

I find it also interesting that while the article claims this is a cultural thing vs. being done for heath benefits, I’d argue it became cultural because of a universal understanding of health benefits.

Now I’m not saying this is some long lost concept that is the missing key to fix all our ills, however I can see how consuming soil was an integral part of maintaining gut health and boosting immunity way before we understood how those systems work.

Yeah I definitely didn’t think it through, because too small lol.

I too suffered the graphite mark and even had it transfer to my face via scratching an itch. Very embarrassing as a kid!

I also had a tough time with spiral notebooks, markers, and craft scissors.

I’ve thought of this so many times and I agree with you.

As we’ve essentially homogenized human society and the roles required to sustain said society, we (neurodivergents) have indeed become less and less fit for the environment we’ve chosen to make.

I once heard this great take on neurodiversity’s role in creating groups of people with ‘specialized’ functions that served the larger group as a whole (I’m taking pre-modern/hunter gatherer tribes). What we call neurodivergence was simply a brain wired to complement or even enhance neurotypical brain functions and vice versa. The brain was evolving to become as diverse as the rest of our bodies, as equity helps ensure survival.

The way I see it, we are like puzzle pieces that fit together to make each other stronger as a unit. We are not simple shapes that one stacks together in an attempt to make structure. I’m sure there’s a much better analogy out there, but this is what my mind has been working on for some time now.

Holy shit, I’m so sorry your dad went through that. Like how is smashing a child’s hand less of a problem than that child using their ‘other’ hand to write?

Honestly, I’d really like to know what people were so concerned with. All I ever heard was ‘it’s not the correct way’, and the only evidence my mind can stretch to support this is based on the fact that sure, it’s a right handed world and certain things are more efficiently and even safely used with a right hand. I’ve also heard a few cultural reasons regarding cleanliness but these are from cultures far removed from mine and obv never given as an actual reason (to me directly) why using one’s right hand over their left is preferred.

Idk shit like this and many other examples just remind me of how quickly others turn to control and rigidity when faced with something they don’t understand/doesn’t ‘fit’ into their mental presets. This post officially has me in my feelings this morning.

Ah since some of us are sharing our childhood experiences with being left handed:

I am ambidextrous, like many lefties. While learning to write my letters in Kindergarten (age 5 for non-US peeps), my teacher noticed that I’d switch hands when the one writing got tired. She didn’t like this at all and kept telling me that I needed to choose one. She actually made quite a stink about it so I chose my left, idk why the left specifically.

I still write with my left, despite trying to retrain back to writing with both at different times in my life. I feel like a mini superpower was taken from me.

Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed that my large motor skills are best used with my right side (arm, leg, hand), and my small motor skills with the left. I think it’s a leftover from being truly ambidextrous, or it may be common amongst left handed people. Idk…the very few others I’ve asked seem to be left handed/sided exclusively.

Something kinda romantic about that actually…it’s like he gets to live on genetically and be raised by his brother to be the person he was aways supposed to be.

I agree with you 100%. When the prospect of a health emergency or chronic condition means bankruptcy, people can’t help but look for alternatives.

Under a capitalist system where anyone can sell ‘supplements’ and any other random ‘treatment’ under the radar long enough to make a quick buck, misinformation abounds and the desperate roll the dice.

Health care isn’t just that. It’s what keeps families together, it’s what keeps communities together, and it’s a tragic farce that too many of us see it as a privilege and not a right.

By all accounts, it’s saliva. They have a separate tube for drinking and another for injecting saliva that numbs and also prevents blood clotting. Because of this system, regurgitation is rare.

The saliva also transmits disease, in fact the saliva makes the infection more effective via suppressing the immune system response and has been shown to attract immune cells to the bite site making it easier for some viruses to ‘recruit’ them and spread faster.

They also spit into the wound they create, as it’s an analgesic (pain reducer). I’d call it rude too but it’s a service both ways.

‘Hold me close, young Tony Danza’ - me at 9.

‘Flexible hours’ never means at your convenience, but at the whim of the company you make money for.

Tbf, I see you as more of the issue than anything.

You’re a leader at work and have gotten way too involved in the personal lives of your coworker and subordinate, regardless of intent.

My advice is to look outside of work for interpersonal and romantic interests. You are already experiencing the consequences of your involvement, and the way you feel about this situation is the signal you should be listening to and taking heed of.