On being a 6 foot redhead

When I was a senior in high school I applied for a bunch of obscure college scholarships in hopes of shaving off a few thousand from the amount I would have to borrow. One of the scholarships for which I applied was offered by Tall Clubs International. To apply for the scholarship you had to be, um, tall, and you also had to write an essay on something like "What being tall means to me..."

I don't remember what exactly I said in that essay, but I think it was something horribly cheesy like, "Being tall is a heritage I embrace with pride because it connects me to both my immediate family and my long lost Scandinavian ancestors." Yeah, it was wretched...no wonder I didn't get the scholarship. (Though it turns out that my tall friend Rachel, whom I met years later, applied for the same scholarship (albeit in a different year) and won...she must have had a kick butt essay.)

Anyway, if I were to write that essay today, I would have something different to say. Sure, I'm still cool with my height, and just coming off my family reunion (full report with pictures coming soon) I think it's rad that I can hang out with my dad, brother, and assorted relatives and feel almost short, or at least, average, but if I were to write that essay today, I think I would say something like, "Being tall is a million different little realities. Like having to contort yourself in order to shower at some hotels where the showerhead is at neck level. Like being near the front at church and feeling like you need to apologize to the junior higher in the row behind you. Like having to resign yourself to a lifetime shortage of legroom in most vehicles, airplanes, and arenas." And, the reality that prompted today's musings, "Like getting your head cut off by the mirrors in public restrooms."

Being tall has its perks (being able to utilize that cabinet over the fridge) and it has its disadvantages (clothes shopping in general). Thankfully God has surrounded me with enough tall friends that I've never felt the need to join a club of the vertically gifted (though I was fine with taking their money, had they offered). Now that I've found their website, though, I wonder what it could do for my dating life...