A few days ago I noticed a strange lump on my finger

On the inside of the first knuckle 

Of my right hand pinkie finger

I chose to ignore it hoping it would go away

But it started to annoy me

Then my imagination went into overdrive

Was it some kind of skin cancer

Or the first sign a very rare disease

Then I decided to consult Mr Google

To my surprise its a well documented condition

Callouses caused by holding an iPhone

And supporting the base with your pinkie finger

The slot at the base of the case causes irritation

Its been given the name “Smart Phone Pinkie”

No way I said to myself as I picked up my iPhone

Holding it in my right hand and sure enough

The callouses were rubbing against the slot in the case

Why just now I asked myself

I have been using my iPhone for years 

Without any kind of hand issues

I never considered myself an excessive smartphone user

Preferring the computer for anything requiring lots of keystrokes

Then I realized what had happened

I had just finished 10 days of Covid isolation

During which time I had no access to my computer

I had been using my iPhone exclusively for all my writing

The extra hand holding resulted in the pinkie finger callouses

There is probably a Facebook group for sufferers

Maybe a therapy support group

I found a much simpler solution

I now hold my phone in my left hand and type with my right hand

Next time you meet somebody new, check out their pinkie finger