My height embarrassed me! One of the greatest lessons my dad taught me was to beat the jokers to the punch. If I am going to be a punchline(笑柄), I'd rather be the author of the joke.
There was a lot of name-calling. Some cruel, some not. I have blocked out much of the cruel In junior high, a well-meaning acquaintance called me Stretch. In university, I was Shortly brought on myself when a friend said,"I'll see you shortly,"to which I replied,"Sounds good, and don't call me Shortly.
Jokes and nicknames aside, there were some real challenges as a short person. Studies have shown short men tend to make less money on average. This is why I hated in-person job interviews.I always feared my height would cost me an opportunity. I always felt judged, real or not.
As I get older, and obviously wiser, it doesn't get to me as much. There are some benefits of being short. I find airplane seats spacious. I am good at hide and seek. I rarely bump my head.Would I still want to be taller? Of course. But I wouldn't be me. I am me because I'm short. And Ilike who I am.
It's such a part of me that I cheer on fellow short people. Lionel Messi is the greatest soccer player of all time (and even he gets mocked) Bruno Mars may be the original short king. Small victories.
I don't remember when I became okay with being short. But at some point, like I have done my entire life, things started looking up.