Not Tall

Height is relative.Which relative I take after in the family happens to be the short statured ones. I would say I'm just average short, not tall. In my kitchen the upper cabinets can only be reached if I drag over my special kitchen step stool. I also use a pair of kitchen tongs to grab unbreakable stuff from the top shelves. I have one high shelf that contains a large number of plastic storage containers that are balanced somewhat precariously and inevitably fall down on Mr. gaf's head when he opens the cabinet. He usually has something to say about this when it occurs and it is often a comment reflective of my habit of collecting plastic containers (expletive deleted). It is difficult for me to arrange them by nesting the smaller ones in side the bigger ones because I would then have to spend time up on my step stool with my arms raised above my head an inordinate amount of time, so I don't.

In grocery and department stores I am at a decided disadvantage. What I want to buy or look at is sometimes beyond my grasp on a high shelf. I have actually waited for a tall person to pass by and very politely ask for assistance. Most of the time it's a male and they just sort of shrug, not looking overly involved at helping to assist the short lady. I have at times tried to crawl up a shelf at a store but I feel at my age it is a compromise on my dignity.

I try to keep my clothes closet neat but again the upper shelf is the nether land of items flung up there with a toss. Every once in awhile I have to get a chair to stand up on and reorganize all the assorted miscellaneous accessories of hats, pocketbooks and anything else that was flung up there. If you have ever watched the docu-program Little People Big World you get the idea how difficult it is to be vertically challenged. I am 5 feet 2 inches tall which does not qualify me as a little person but there are a whole bunch of things that I can't reach.

Fortunately, nearly every vehicle I have owned has a lever to move the seat forward so that my foot reaches the gas pedal. This is also a constant "readjustment" when Mr. gaf has driven my car because he has moved the seat back, adjusted the tilt of the steering wheel and both the rear view and side mirrors.We must be very patient with each other so that the height difference does not become a disagreeable situation.We have learned not to bicker about it and just accept the reality of two different sized bodies sometimes need to drive the same automobile. Pick your battles.

On the television there is a news commentator, David Gregory on NBC, who is gigantic. When he stands next to people of ordinary height he towers over nearly everyone. People come up to his mid chest. I imagine he has the opposite problem trying to adjust car seats and having to stoop over too short furniture. Maybe in his house his wife waits for him to come home so he can grab things that are up too high or dust the chandelier. I wouldn't doubt that he probably has a specially made bed long enough for him to be comfortable to sleep on. What arrangements he makes when he flies on an airplane is a mystery unless he flies around with all the NBA basketball players and they take a detour to drop him off somewhere. I actually saw on a news program they have specially designed planes for the basketball players.

I have had to shorten almost every pair of slacks I have ever owned. I've grown rather adept at this, but just once I'd like to buy a pair of pants that don't hang 5 inches below my heel. Petite size never seems quite long enough for some reason so I reside in limbo, not tall enough but too short, but taller than little people.