I happen to end up as one of the tall people. I wanted to be taller because I had visions of playing in the NBA, but I am just too short to be scrapping with the seven footers.
As a teenager, I was the guy that was in charge of cleaning off the tops of the refrigerators in all of my friends’ mother’s homes. Mom wanted to know why I wouldn’t do it at our home.
I have towered over most of my family members since I was a teenager. My brother Rantz used to tell all of our friends that I was adopted. Looking back, I see that being adopted is not a big deal, but when I was ten, it was worth fighting over. I got bigger and Rantz and I didn’t fight much more.
It’s good to be tall in order to reach the light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures without having to get a chair, or getting stuff off of the top shelf at the grocery store. But, I do have a ridge on the top of my head that I attribute to bumping into things. I have developed a habit of looking up before I rise out of a chair (just in case). People that are less than six feet tall can’t imagine how painful it is to hit the top of your head on the corner of an open kitchen cabinet.
That is one of the small, wonderful advantages of being tall. You run into things with your head that weren’t designed for coming into contact with the head. Ears are targets too. You can also imagine the fun I have when I manage to jab something into my temple. There is a down side for every up side.
When my brother Rantz and I are ever photographed together, he always gets up on his toes as to not appear shorter than I. It is a ritual that we have rehearsed for the last thirty years. I try to get up on my toes too before the picture flashes as to not allow any advantage on his part.
I have come to the conclusion that I like very much being tall. Some people don’t like it. If you are trying to blend into a crowd it doesn’t help much, but I never wanted to be a private investigator or stealthy anyway. Some people help little old ladies cross the street. I help them get stuff off of the shelves in the grocery store. There is a purpose for all of us.
Shannon R Killman
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