I hate to be the one to break it to you but you are shrinking. If you are over the age of 30, you are gradually getting shorter every year. If you live long enough, you may lose as much as two to three inches from your young adult height.
It’s not your fault. It’s nothing that you’ve done. It’s just being human. The fluid that separates the discs in your back depletes over time, causing your spine to contract. The cartilage in your knee joints slowly wears away, bringing your bones a bit closer together. Muscles begin to wither and withdraw.
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If you’re tall, you probably won’t even notice the process. You have plenty of height to spare. But for those of us who are somewhat vertically challenged, this is a bit alarming. My driver’s license says I am 5 feet, 7 inches. I’ve always thought of myself as five-seven. But now in my 70s, I barely hit 5 feet, 6 inches. I actually have noticed a difference when I reach up to shelves in my closet or in the grocery store. It now takes tiptoes to grab that box of cereal from the top row. How long before I have to adjust my pants leg length?
Being a vain person, I tried to compensate by wearing shoes with elevated heels, but my ankles just couldn’t handle them. How on earth do you ladies wear those high heels all day without collapsing in pain? You must have God-given super strength.
Sweet truth
Anyway, folks like me just have to be resigned to being a little short — and getting shorter. Isn’t it great that God doesn’t care what we look like or how tall we are? He offers sweet salvation to all who call upon His name. He also gives you the patience and sense of humor to withstand jokes from taller church friends — you know, like the ones who say Jesus must have been talking about you when He referred to “the least of these.” Ha ha. Very funny. Not.
Hey, Jesus Himself was likely a smallish Middle Eastern type when he walked the earth, right? We’re in good company. Turns out it doesn’t matter if you’re getting smaller in stature as long as you are growing in faith.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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