Little People, Littler Meghan

We all have dominant traits that end up defining us through our whole lives. We get used to it and learn that whatever the trait is, people notice it and might tease us about it, make up nicknames because of it, etc. It can be hair color, a big nose, a dimpled smile, freckled skin... we all have something (or lots of somethings).

One of my traits that I hear about a lot is how short I am. I don't really realize it until I look at pictures and see how much smaller I am than the people around me.... or each day when I put my pants on and the legs don't go past my feet. Yeah. That's a good suggestion that maybe something is off with me.

At first, it felt weird to be short, because I was on the taller side when I was a kid. Actually, my husband is now 6'4, but when we were each 10 years old, we were both 4'10. Then when I hit 12, I stopped growing and everyone else kept on getting taller, so when the "Omigosh, you're short" comments started rolling in, I was actually caught off guard. I truly thought I was still average. By the time I hit my 20s, I was used to the fact that 5'1 is short and started to beat people to the punch on the short jokes.

"Yes, I'm standing. Yes, I'm sure the weather is warmer down here. No, I can't see over that counter top. Yes, your 2-year-old is nearly my height."

So today, I was talking to a coworker and she mentioned someone else we work with, who I'll call Ann. And you know how, when you want to describe someone by height, you'll throw your hand out and, if they're tall, you'll toss your hand up high and if they're short, you'll lower it down to your elbow or so? Well, Ann is short, so I said, "Little Ann?" And threw my hand out to describe her by her height, but I didn't really pay attention to where I was putting my hand. Apparently, my hand wanted to be accurate, and it went approximately one inch above my own head. My coworker found it amusing that, to describe "Little Ann," I still had to put my hand up over my head.

Maybe if it hadn't been casual Friday and I had been wearing my heels, my hand might have gone to my nose or so.