Spiderman'ing Your Way Through Life

Have you ever stopped to wonder how your height affects your perception of how others view you, or how you view the world?

I am short. 5'0" to be exact, and so this is something I not only ponder, but battle with through the daily grind.  Some of you may know what I'm talking about, some of you might be secretly laughing. 

Do you ever find yourself in a grocery store trying to reach the last box of cereal on the top shelf, and because it's the last box it is also at the very back of the shelf?, Well when I first started shopping as an adult I would take this as a sign that I wasn't meant to purchase whatever item I couldn't reach. Unless I was fortunate enough to catch some taller shopper in the same aisle and ask for their assistance. Oftentimes I wouldn't ask, and that was because I realized I had accepted this stigma of being short. 

Somehow I didn't live up to some societal standard or conception. It took me quite awhile to stop accepting this view and embrace being short.

Since it is my birthday month I must explain how this was partly changed through a hip hop song when 50 cent popularized the slang term "shawty" in the song "In Da Club." I love the etymology of words and slang terms and looking at how they change through cultures and over the course of time. "Shawty" is the slang word for "shorty;" a term I am often called not only by my peers, but everyone. However when it is used as this slang term, it is used in an endearing way to describe an attractive female. So go ahead and call me shorty.

Okay, I admit it, it wasn't just this hip hop song released in 2003 that helped me to embrace my height.  It was all the times I struggled to do anything because of my height and overcame the challenge.  For instance, the cereal box I mentioned previously, once I learned to problem solve my way through these situations I gained a sense of empowerment.

So now when I find myself standing in a grocery store aisle unable to reach an item, I don't stop and look around for someone to assist me. I don't take it as a sign I'm not meant for this item today. I climb like Spidey and knock the cereal box to the edge with another box as I also climb across the lower shelves.

However I am not just empowered by my height at the grocery store. I've learned (maybe through my Spidey senses) to fully embrace my height. So much so, that when I am applying for a job and I come across the question that asks, "Is there anything that would impede you from doing this job?" I always respond that I am, "vertically challenged." This always seems to ease the tension and stuffiness of the interview, and it also grabs the interviewers' attention, as well as, provides an opportunity for me not only to be remembered,  but stand out.

It is all about perspective, every height has its' own challenge and vantage point. What is most important to note is that we all have an obligation to see each other and be aware of the words we use with each other that can cause stigmas and misconceptions.

So, have fun Spiderman'ing your way through life, but be sure to consider those around you whatever their height!