Tall Tales

I am 15 years old and over 6 feet tall. I have always been tall for my age, and have always grown fast. Most people view being tall as a gift, and in some ways, it certainly is. Yet at the same time, the gift of height can be a curse as well as a blessing. I have found in my experience that the bonuses of being tall are the same thing as the curses. Here are a few examples. 

I think it’s safe to say that people are generally intimidated by things that are big. If that wasn’t the case, then Godzilla would’ve been the size of a gecko, and Jaws would have been the size of a goldfish. Therefore, people who are bigger than others can and in some situations do come off as intimidating. While that can be a good thing most of the time because it simply keeps people from bullying or trying to fight you, it can also be a curse. For example, not too long ago I went to see some young cousins of mine that I only met once prior to this. These little girls had an excellent time playing with my sister our whole visit, but they were afraid of me, as I towered over them. Sometimes it isn’t fun to be scary.

The obvious one would be that tall people are higher up in the air and can reach stuff that is on the top shelf. At school, I am always asked by my shorter teachers to turn on the projector and save the day. Which is good. I’m glad my height can contribute to society. But on the other hand, I’ve gotten to the point where I’m hitting my head on everything. Do you know what it’s like to run cheerily  and care-freely down the stairs as a young child just to walk down those stairs as an older child and have to duck in terror of cracking your skull open on the ceiling? IT’S DEPRESSING.  

Here’s a good one. Whenever my family goes to massive family get-togethers, the people who haven’t seen me in while will talk to me about how tall I am. Which is a good thing because sometimes I don’t even recognize who I’m talking to or if I’m even related to them so I’m very grateful to just have something to converse about. On the other hand, the whole height-conversation thing backfires in some situations. I have some family members that I can’t have a conversation with that doesn’t involve my height as the main topic. Like that’s all they’re able to talk to me about.

Blessing=Curse. 

-- Rudolph