Reason #5. Being Tall?
I love being tall but this was not always the case.
I grew up in Colombia where the average female height is 158.7 cm and the average male height is 170.6 cm. Since I was around 14 years old I have been 176 cm tall which makes me approximately 10 cm taller than the average woman and over 5 cm taller than the average man.
I can almost see a lot of you rolling your eyes, thinking oh my word let me play you the world’s smallest violin because who doesn’t like being tall?
Let me explain, I absolutely love everything about being tall, I 100% appreciate that I won the gene pool on that front which is why I chose this as one of the reasons why I love myself; and if we are going to add a pinch of perspective and a worldwide view of my height, the reality is I am actually not that tall. The thing is, it didn’t feel that way when I was little. I was not only much taller than most boys and girls my age, I was also bigger. I inherited the imposing figure of my father, a tall dark man who oozes strength and walks with the authority inherited from being a Colonel in the Colombian Army back in the day.
When you are young, standing out and being above average exposes you to a wide range of conflicting emotions. For some wild reason, we want to fit in, not yet understanding that it is our differences that make us magical; and back then I was like any other kid that feels a bit left out when they stand out. Being the last one in line was not a terrible feat but being the ‘biggest’ was.
When your physique is the epitome of the kid that colours outside the lines while everyone else is colouring inside the lines, it is inevitable to be left feeling like you might be better off if you knew how to colour inside those lines.
As I write this, I realise that I have actually always loved being tall and this is not really an ode to height but to accepting and loving my body as a whole.
I have already drawn the lettering piece that will accompany this post, and I will respect that creating that piece was a step I needed to take to get fully in tune with and honour my new reality and the fact that today’s reason should have been called — i finally love my body.
This story will remain incomplete for now, because that reason deserves a drawing and post on it’s own - when it has written itself in my subconscious and is ready to be shared throughout the remaining 30/35 reasons why I love myself… stay tuned… esta historia continuará…
#35reasonswhyilovemyself
