I was in my early 20s, flying home from college in one of those tiny airplanes. Two seats on one side of the aisle, one on the other. Feels like you’re flying over a sky full of speed bumps.
I was sitting comfortably in my chair, or as comfortable as one could be while bouncing around like tennis balls in the dryer. The man next to me, the very tall man, was awkwardly folded into his chair. He sniffed his knees from Missouri to Memphis. His only other option would have been to drape his legs over the seat in front of him.
It was that exact moment I stopped wishing I was taller and found happiness with my vertically challenged frame.
All my life I wanted to be taller. Not freakishly tall. I would have been happy at 6 feet even; tall enough to dunk a basketball but not so tall that everyone assumes I play basketball.
Then I saw this poor guy, miserable and struggling to achieve comfort while tackling the most mundane of tasks: sitting in a chair.
It was the first time in my life I appreciated being the size I was.
Years later, working with teenagers who never hesitate to comment on my height, I started telling them “I’m taller on the inside.” I really feel that way. I am confident with who I am and what I do. My height doesn’t define me. Why should it? I didn’t choose my stature. I can’t change it. I might as well accept it and make the best of it. It’s a lot easier than wearing heels and combing my hair up.
It took me years to hit internal puberty. I was a late bloomer. Also, I think I'm still growing.
Everybody is born with something about them they would like to change...something they didn’t choose and can’t control. I say embrace it. Revel in it. Plop your butt down in that tiny airplane seat and be comfortable.
Find happiness with who you are.
Be taller on the inside.
Do you have questions about a specific situation in your life? Topics you want addressed in future essays? Let me know about it in the comment section.
I’m an LPC and a writer. If you are a mental health professional and need creative consultation for your professional literature, contact me.
