EGADS--I'M SHRINKING

Remember when you were a child and through out your teens what happened when you went to the doctor? First you were weighed , then they checked your height before even asking how you were. Some how when we hit twenty, the last step was eliminated to be replaced with the blood pressure cuff. No longer did the doctor seem to care how tall you were. Your last measurement was considered the gold standard which was good from twenty through fifty. Then suddenly in the late fifties, you were once again asked to stand tall as the flat little bar slid down the skinny pole to rest on your head. Once again, how tall we are is important.


All my life, I have been a shorty. Each time we moved and I entered a new school, I had to listen to the whispered,"She is so small," swirl as I entered the class room for the first time. The first day of junior high, I was almost sent home by a teacher who stopped me in the hall insisting I needed to go to the elementary school. My adamant insistence that I was too old enough was finally reinforced at the principals office. Barring that one time, it was not a real problem and I was quite happy with my uniqueness. I stood out by not standing tall.


The good thing is that there was never a boy in the class who was too short for me. It really left the field wide open. No one had to be eliminated for height and I could dance with anyone. Also in my particular time period, tree top tall fashion models were not the goal of young girls. Our idols were June Allison, under 5 foot, Judy Garland was 4'11",Vivian Leigh was the biggie at 5'3", etc. Petite and cute was the goal. I had petite sewed up. My last growth spurt came when I was a senior in high school where I topped out at 5'2". Definitely not tall, but a bit closer to average at that time.


Now however, I am going back the other way. I am shrinking back into myself. I tried denial but that was wasted energy. Slack sizes that once fit, now hang over my shoes and need alteration. It takes a decent heel to keep my clothes from dragging in the dirt.


You would think that my expanding behind would take up the slack material but it hasn't worked, at least not well enough. When in casual jeans, I'm pretty rumpled from the ankles down. Sure wish jeans rolling over your shoes would come into fashion. I try to wear mine with flair and pizazz, hoping to set a trend. You never know what will catch on. Look at what happened with ripped jeans.


The car visor no longer protects me from the setting sun. I am not yet looking through the steering wheel to drive but can see that in my future as well as a cushion in the drivers seat. Probably the most noticeable change to me is when I go out to eat. My chin is so much closer to the table than it used to be. Are they making tables taller or chairs shorter? Probably not. Wonder if they make adult booster seats? If they don't, they should. I see a definite market.
This keeps up, I will no longer be tall enough to ride Disney's scary rides. Hum, that could be a good thing.


Think part of the problem is in my feet. I have gained shoe length by one and a half sizes, no longer sporting the average American shoe size. Since my foot print after shower includes the entire foot, I can only assume that my arches have fallen. That could solve part of the puzzle if I had inch and a half arches before the fall.


I became aware the aging shrinkage most clearly with my step mom. Growing up, I always looked up to her partially because she was such a cool person, but also because she was taller than me. Then suddenly it seemed, we were eye to eye, then just as suddenly, I was looking down at the top of her head.


I notice I am looking up more and more these days as I talk to people. No wonder older people have neck problems. Have thought long about getting an inversion table so I can hang upside down by my heals to stretch out that collapsing spine. Anyone tried one? Let me know if you have.


I know I am not alone in this particular process of aging so I will try to be a big? girl and take all this gracefully along with the liver spots and white hair. My attitude is that if you can't change it, laugh at it.

Those of you with youth on your side, enjoy your dizzying heights while you can, for they are temporary. You too most likely shall shrink into your own body. Good luck.