I was thinking about hands this week. I know, that sounds random. But when you have kids or work with kids you're frequently reminded how different your hands are from their hands. Most of us are blessed with hands, but each of our hands are different. We can all hold pens and pencils, but only some of us can get our hands to do with an artist can do (the rest of us just make doodles and color in pictures). Some of us are good at cooking with our hands. Some of us are good at cleaning with our hands. Some of us are good at playing a musical instrument. Some of us are able to get our hands to put people back together. Some of us have hands that are really good at wiping away tears or being a comforting presence. And it all starts when we're kids.

The thing I was noticing about hands this week is that as much as we adults say that our fingers are too big, sometimes it's not about the size but about the experience. Some people are really good at typing on a computer because they do it for so many hours each day. Some people are really good at typing on a phone because they do it hours each day. It's very possible that those two people's hands are similar sizes, but the difference is in the muscle memory that has been built up and allows fingers and hands to work together in certain ways.

Sometimes we need our big hands to hold onto the dog better during the walk or have the strength to move the wrench to change the tire. But other times we need the little hands and little fingers to reach into a small space to get something that dropped or to put the perfect sized fingerprint into thumbprint cookies, and of course finger paint artwork usually looks better with little fingers to.

So the next time you question your large adult fingers and hands, maybe it's not a question of size, but a question of practice. Think of it like the homework that the kids have to do each day for school as well as the work they have to do if they play an instrument or sport: practice makes perfect. But maybe you're right, and your hands are too big, which means it's an opportunity to welcome in a child to work together on something and give them some experience too.