I Learned How to Tie a Bow Incorrectly

That was back when I was in the first grade of elementary school.

The swimming pool season was approaching.

It was mandatory to wear a swimming cap when entering the pool.

The cap I had in kindergarten was simple.

I just had to put it on my head and then slide the bead-like fastener on the strap up to my chin.

However, the elementary school cap didn't have a bead.

I had to tie the straps into a bow.

I couldn't tie a bow.

The shoes I wore back then were all vinyl ones with cartoon characters on them, so I didn't need laces.

I rarely had any opportunities to use a bow in my daily life either.

But at the school pool, I had to tie it myself.

I suppose we were told that children who couldn't tie a bow had to learn how.

My mother and I ended up practicing in front of the mirror together.

Since I was strongly left-handed, I was bad at learning these kinds of manual tasks.

Incidentally, I would struggle in home economics class later on as well.

I couldn't understand it at all, so I even tried to learn by using a mirror.

However, my mother's way of teaching was quite rough.

Cross the strings, pull them tight, and make one loop.

That part was fine.

But it seems my mother forgot to teach me the step of making the second loop.

My bow had only one loop.

And I had learned it thinking that was how you tie a bow.

I was quite carefree, and I continued to tie it that way for many years afterward.

By the time I reached the upper grades of elementary school, everyone started wearing lace-up shoes.

It was an era when basketball shoes were popular.

I also wore lace-up shoes and tied them with my usual bow.

Then Satoko-chan said to me,

"Hey, Yukari-chan, isn't that bow a bit strange?"

I stared intently at Satoko-chan's feet.

Sure enough, Satoko-chan's bow had two loops.

I had been doing it wrong for years.

To think I didn't notice until someone pointed it out.

My mother was no help, so I practiced while asking my older sister.

Since my sister is right-handed, she naturally taught me the right-handed way.

It took me quite a long time to understand it.

Now I have many opportunities to wear sneakers, and I can tie a proper bow.

But every time I remember this incident,

"I really lived my life in a daze," I think.

I think to myself.