When I shrrrunnnk...

Most of you probably wouldn't freak out if you lost a tiny bit of height as you aged.  So when my dear orthopaedic surgeon had the audacity to inform me I had lost TWO FRIGGIN INCHES IN FIVE YEARS, I VERY POLITELY AND RESPECTFULLY FREAKED OUT!😱

I mean, after all, I only have so many inches in height as it is, and I worked very hard to acquire my TALL 4'3" in height!  As a kid I would hang AND HANG by my arms from tree branches, swing sets, rope swings, and various other objects to lengthen the short long bones in my arms, then do the same hanging upside down from the same objects by my legs to lengthen my short long leg bones.  

My friends and I had explicit faith I would gain considerable height this way.  So this alone had to give me added height!  And by the way, it's not fun spending so much time hanging from objects like that, especially when upside down, but I was a determined kid, you see.🤣

Back to the moment with my current orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Habersham...

"Adelaide, since we last measured your height, you've lost two inches and I..."

"WHAT?!!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'VE LOST TWO INCHES IN HEIGHT?"😱

..."see from your recent scan your lumbar vertebra have collapsed onto each other and fused.  Inaddition, since you're lacking cartilage throughout your body including the spine, the vertebra throughout the thoracic level are grinding away on each other without anything there to prevent this.  How you are still walking at all and riding Patches is astounding to my colleagues and me."

"OH."

"But you're still considered to be a tall Little Person even at the 4'1" height!"

"That's easy for YOU to say!"

"You've spent your life riding horses!  How many people can ride horses?  I'm 6'4" and horses terrify me!"

"Have YOU had a scan lately?  What if you discovered YOU had lost TWO INCHES in five years because your bones are collapsing?"🥴

"OH."

"Ahh, Dr. Habersham, I will eventually accept this.  I have no choice, I have to.  Besides, many other Little People would give anything to be even as tall as me.  Or have the normal sized hands and feet I do."🥺

But you see, my dear ones, I must confess...I haven't accepted it yet.  I am still writing I am a TALL 4'3" Little Person.  I haven't even been able to write I am a TALL 4'1" Little Person yet!  Why?🙃

Obviously my vertebra and other bones collapsing on each other due to gravity is a huge reason why...yet another horrendous aspect of living in a body like mine.

However I think just being 4'3" for fifty-eight years has had much to do with it too.  I simply can't get used to saying I am a TALL 4'1" Little Person yet.  

My being two inches shorter (and I certainly am likely to be even more shorter by now!😂) do not make me a less TALL Little Person, because I am still walking tall.  My attitude is TALL!🤣  

So my dear ones, the time has come for me to accept and embrace the fact that yes, I am shrinking physically, but NEVER in my attitude or spirit!🐎😃🐎 

I am Adelaide, a TALL 4'1" Little Person!😃👏🐎👍