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I have terrible handwriting. It is a
cross between a hasty, slanted scratch and
affected capital letters that fly all over the
page. Thank heaven for my word processor
which allows me to communicate politely with
my readers in a more legible manner. I can
rush over the keys with the speed of lightning
to get my fleeting thoughts out of my brain
and onto the screen immediately. It is a
pity though that the art of writing is
disappearing along with so many other human
endeavors as we become more of a numeral, and
the mechanized world void of sentimentality
overtakes traditions.
Handwriting can reveal so much about a person,
leaving little clues by the formation of
letters; like a mirror reflecting back
your subconscious mind. Whatever you are truly
thinking spills onto the page, taking a
snapshot of your life that particular second.
I bet when you wrote your Christmas cards,
autographed books, or jotted down a
grocery list, you never gave a thought to the
hidden messages concealed by the flip of your
wrist, yet you were revealing the most amazing
truths about yourself.
I would like to know why I sign my name Alinka
with a backwards "l", yet slant the
same letter forward when continuing to write
other words with "ls" in the same
sentence, as if in some sort of schizophrenic
artwork. My kindergarten teacher in
Scotland taught me to write the letter
"a" like a big, fat apple. I
can still see the big, red apple in my first
reading book: "a is for apple. b is
for bees. c is for cat. d is for
dog. e is for egg. f is for
frog... all the way to z is for zebra, with
the drawings of the animals and inanimate
objects next to the alphabet. However,
as a teenager in parochial schools in Buenos
Aires, I rebelled and decided to assert my
independence by writing the "A" for
Alinka as if it were a house, just to annoy
the nuns and to satisfy the artist in me.
Apple "a" just seemed a trifle
boring.
Moods will alter the shape of our letters
which reveal emotions. At least,
according to the graphologists who study this
science. I am trying to interpret G.
Gordon Liddy's mood when he autographed his
book for me: "for Alinka, my kind
of gal. Warm wishes, G. Gordon Liddy, 18
February 1988." I wonder what he
saw in me?
I
have been known to be able to keep a secret.
He has fast, legible but tight writing with
very narrow letters, which indicates he keeps
secrets on many different levels. His
"9" looks like a "J" and
his "L" looks like an
"O."
Walt Disney's signature looks like a ten year
old drew it with a flower on top of his "i",
making it very vibrant. Princess Diana
had a very open hand with the "a"
being very round and fat. Rudolph
Valentino (whom I named my poodle Rudy after)
had quite an exotic and graceful
signature denoting he was an approachable
person, willing to share his feelings.
"It matters not how strait the gate, how
charged with punishments the scroll; I am the
master of my fate, I am the captain of my
soul." William Henley.
The way you shape your words shows how close
you are to living your destiny and whether you
are still searching for answers to the riddles
of your life. Loops and scratches and
circles on top of the "i" all reveal
private information about you on that
particular day. Pity, this is not possible
with computers. They are friendly enough but
can be cold and impersonal, unlike a scented Thank
You note with romantic script, dotted with
violets or forget-me-nots. I understand
that the Japanese have invented a
computer which releases floral perfumes. Not
only will it cost a small fortune, but can you
imagine sending a card to someone who is
allergic to perfume? AAAAA---choo, all
over the screen!! That is why
when I start to autograph my books this spring
I will take a rubber stamp with my name on it
and stamp everyone's books, so that I can keep
my mood a secret. Just kidding!
Readers like to practice a certain amount of
voyeurism.
I think I will ask my physicians and dentist
for a sample of their handwriting to have it
analyzed before I go in for any medical
procedures. If the doctor is in a bad
mood that day, I will reschedule.
Graphologists have worked closely with the
police to analyze every cross and squiggle of
ransom notes left by criminals to ascertain
their state of mind, which often leads to
valuable clues. "Common sense is as
rare as genius." Emerson.
Setbacks, accidents, disappointments, bad
luck, all are key lessons in the human
learning curve. Only by figuring out the
answers ourselves do we develop into fully
capable, decent adults. And sometimes,
the search is all there is.
Alinka
Zyrmont
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