Game Rules: Big Changes Over Time

As we grow up, the rules of the games we play change little by little. When we first start playing games, people typically let us win, because it's easier to let the small child win than to put up with the screaming and fighting that comes from losing. Eventually we learn that life isn't always fair, and that we don't always win. Until we reach that point in our maturity, the rules of a game change little by little, until we actually learn to play the game the correct way whether we win or lose.

Being the little person that I am, I tend to adapt the rules of a game based on who I am playing with. When I play with people my age, all of the rules apply, and there's no whining or fighting about it, but when I babysit, or go to my 4-H Mentoring, sometimes I forget that kids rarely play by the rules. Forgetting something like that is almost like forgetting about an assignment for school. It's not the end of the world, but if you forget life becomes a little more difficult.

Last week for my mentoring, the girl that I mentor wanted to go play kick ball at the school with her brother and his friend. The request didn't seem too extreme, so I told them that we could go play. At first it was just the four of us, which was fine, but then two other kids who were already playing at the school decided to join us.

Having extra players isn't a bad thing, but when you have to adjust the rules to protect the ego of a six year old, it's not quite as fun. We split into different teams, and one team ended up way ahead, because the six year old found a loophole to every out that we tried to get him with. He said that we didn't get him before he hit the base, and that the ball hit him too hard when one of the players would try and tag him out, so basically he just ran around the kickball diamond, and racked up 30 points before he had to head home.

When I play with people my age, that doesn't happen. If somebody wants to get you out, and hits you with the ball, you are out. End of story. If you play with somebody who is particularly competitive such as a boy, they will make sure that you know you are out by making sure the ball hits you, and making sure that you feel the ball hit you.

When you are vertically impaired, you may end up switching from the little kid rules to the actual rules quite frequently, so just be prepared for it. Be compassionate and patient with the kids when you babysit, or if you have kids of your own, make sure to be patient with them, because they really can't help it. They may have been taught the rules, but for a little kid winning a game is basically everything, whereas adults may want to win, but it won't feel like the end of the world if they lose.
#LittleGameChangers #WinOrLose #ShortGirlProbs #GrowingUp #ShortStories
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A Little Gratitude Goes A Long Way

Thanksgiving is almost here folks, and for most people the month of November means thinking a little bit more about what they are grateful for. Some people focus on family and friends, while others focus on material things that they have.

A lot of people use different social mediums to show their gratitude throughout the month, such as the Facebook gratitude challenge, the Facebook "say thanks" videos, or tweeting out things we are grateful for. With all of these different ways to show gratitude, I thought I would add to it with some things I am grateful for.

I am thankful that I was born in America where I have the freedom to choose who I want to become. I don't have to do something because my parents do it, or because society thinks I should. I can move wherever and whenever I want to (just as long as I have the money to do so).

I am actually grateful for being short. I know it may sound crazy, but I like the height that I am, because the world is a huge adventure just waiting to happen. If I were taller, the world wouldn't be as big, and probably wouldn't capture my imagination as much as it does, so as a result I am thankful for the fact that I am a vertically impaired person, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be in school, and improve my education. School is a struggle not only academically, but financially as well. I am so grateful that I have been fortunate enough to be able to find ways to pay for school, and get my education. A lot of people don't find that and have to work for years to save up to just pay for a semester or two. I am grateful that I had a job in high school to help me get the funds saved up for school.

I am grateful for getting the amazing roommates that I have. One of the scariest things in going away to school is wondering what kind of people you will be living with. You fear that your personalities will totally clash making the entire year a struggle, but when you move in and discover that you are with great people that you can get along with, it is seriously the best feeling in the world.

I am grateful for the classes I got into. I know that classes may not always be overly exciting, but I am glad that I have the ones that I do. Some of them are really easy, and others are hard, but little by little they have the power to help mold me as a person. Each offers a different perspective of the world, and why the subject taught is important in life, and I am so thankful for that variety, because without it, school would not be as fun.

I am so grateful for the amazing friends that I have been blessed with in my life. Each one of them has changed my life in some way, and I am so grateful for those little changes they have helped me to make. We are all different, but for some reason our friendships still work. I have friendships where both of us act and think alike, making us almost seem like twins, and I have other friends who are basically the exact opposite of my personality, but we make it work, and I am so glad that it works out.

I am thankful for all of the people who are willing to help me out in life, especially when they don't have to. People who will see me walking somewhere, and pull over and pick me up, even when I am literally a block away from my destination. It's amazing to think that despite every bad story we hear on the news, there are some amazing people who want to do good things and aren't afraid to take action on it.

I am grateful for the life I have, even if sometimes it gets hard. I am glad that I have the opportunity to grow from both the good and the bad in my life. I am grateful for everything in it, I just may not be quite as grateful in the moment of things. Life has so many things that a person can be grateful for, that it's a little hard to get it all written down, so I guess I will just have to summarize it, by saying that I am grateful for everything in my life.

#TheShortStories #LittleGratitude #ThankfulForLife #GladToBeMe

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Why Being Little Can Be Useful In A Big Way

I have talked about jobs for little people  before, but I neglected one major one, and I intend to cover that today.

Everybody wants to be employed (or at least they should if they want to live). Some jobs have specific requirements such as the way a person should dress or even act, but you probably have never thought of a job having a height or weight requirement unless you were looking into modeling or athletics.

Honestly if this job hadn't been pointed out to me, I probably would have never even given it a thought, because I don't really have much interest in this field. It's not a bad field of work, but I didn't grow up around it, so I don't really have a connection to it.

Horse Jockeys have a height and weight requirement in order to actually compete. These people have  to be absolutely tiny! According to horsejobs.ca, a horse jockey has to be approximately 110 lbs, and on average they are between 5'2 and 5'4. That's the height requirement for the professional jockeys. If you are an apprentice training to be a professional Jockey, you have to be 105 lbs or less. 

There's a reason to these requirements. The horse and rider have to essentially work as one. When the rider is smaller, the horse has an easier time doing tricks like jumping fences, and coming around tight corners. If the riders weren't so small the horse wouldn't be able to do these tricks, because of the extra weight. 

To me that's nuts. If you are a vertically impaired person, and you are fairly light weight, I would definitely recommend this job for you. That is as long as you like horses. Some short people aren't overly fond of large animals, so if you are one of those people, I wouldn't go for it. 

This job takes some serious dedication, so if you are considering going for it, because you are small enough, just remember that this is a lot more intense than the pony ride at the fair. Just like all athletes, Jockeys have regular practice to keep them in shape, so they will be prepared to compete.

Each Jockey has to know their horse, and be able to control it all the time. If the horse doesn't pick up what the rider intents on doing, it could get pretty ugly, especially when they are doing jumping tricks. If this is of interest to you, and you fit the requirements, I would say go for it, because there's probably not as much competition in this field, as another field might be.

#ShortStories #PerksOfBeingLittle #BeingSmallCounts
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Standing Room on A Bus Is Not Meant for Short People.

Public transportation is not always an ideal situation, but when you are vertically impaired, and you step on the bus or the subway, and discover that there is standing room only, it becomes a bit of a bigger problem.

I think the idea of public transportation is great. Really I do, but when I find myself on a bus with standing room only, I am not usually excited about it. People as a whole are not generally excited about standing on a bus, but at least they can reach the hand rails to keep them from falling over.

I went up to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah recently, and to get around the park, the National Parks Foundation provides a shuttle to take people to different locations within the park. The way up wasn't bad. I had a window seat, and I didn't have a problem, but the trip back was a different story.

During prime hours people are constantly getting on and off the shuttle, but as it gets darker, more people stay on the whole route, so they can leave. Yeah, that's not a good combination for a little person like me. I don't mind being squished. At least that wasn't my main concern this trip.

I couldn't really reach the hand rails located on the ceiling of the shuttle, so when the bus would turn or jerk in any way, I had to fight to keep my balance. Most of the trip I fell in to the people that I came with, but on a particularly sudden turn, I fell into a poor tourist, that now probably thinks American girls are all clumsy jerks. I didn't mean to do it. I tried so hard to avoid it the best that I could, but despite my best efforts, gravity won, and this lady will probably never sit next to a short person standing on a shuttle or a bus ever again.

Standing room is great for the average sized person, but is a disaster if you are too short to actually reach the hand rails above your head.

#ShortGirlProbs #EverythingIsTooHigh #StruggleIsReal #WishICouldReach #ShortStories

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Small people and Winter, Making it work.

For most people winter isn't a favorite time of year. Let's face it, it's cold and all you really want to do is stay inside and cuddle up with lots of blankets and anything else that is warm. For small people, the struggle gets a little more real, because we literally disappear in the snow, because it's taller than us.

When making a snow fort, you will always be the first one to finish, because you don't really need a big one, because you are small enough to basically hide behind a snow drift. There are lots of fun things you can do, you just might get a little colder in the process, because your body is a bit smaller, and may not produce as much heat.

Winter is not usually kind to those who don't like the cold, but for little people it turns into something like this.

I seriously have to wear three layers just so I don't freeze to death, and I am in Southern Utah, where it's supposed to be warmer.  It's slightly warmer here than it is in Northern Utah, but not by much. I spend most of my day outside biking around Cedar City, and the cold bothers me so much more than it did before, and I used to live in Ephraim, where if it was cold outside, your nose would freeze together when you breathed in.

If you are little and don't love the cold, layers will be your best friend. Seriously! I wear two jackets, a thermal under my shirt and long pants, and I still end up almost frozen every day. The more layers you can wear the better. If you don't particularly need a lot of mobility, you can bundle up like Randy from A Christmas Story, and you will be warm. You may not accomplish much, but at least you will be warm.

The goal is to stay warm, and as long as you accomplish that, then you can make winter work.
#ShortStories #Winter #StayingWarm
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Don't Blame Me, I Was Born This Way

I was destined to be short from birth, and I mean that very literally. My mom's side of the family doesn't exactly have the greatest "tall" genes in the world, so looking at her, you would expect none of her kids would be tall. I wish that was truer than it is, but my brothers are both at least 6ft just like my dad, so I guess I got the short end of the stick on that one. That's fine with me, I am happy just the way that I am.

I was 5 lbs 2 oz when I was born, and I am a St. Patrick's day baby, so sometimes I like to tell people that I am secretly a Leprechaun. I have the height, and could probably figure out an Irish accent, but I don't have red hair, and I don't particularly want to dye it, so the story doesn't usually go very far.

I was born little and have stayed that way, and for the most part it hasn't been too bad. I did get a lot of teasing in school for it though. Some of my teachers said that I had to give them a cut of my gold when I found my rainbow. I haven't found it yet, but if I ever do, I suppose giving them a cut wouldn't be the end of the world.

I didn't choose to be short, it just happened. It's hard to control genetics, although some doctors do research on it to try and prevent certain diseases, but height isn't their top priority, and that's okay with me. I would much rather them finding a cure for cancer or diabetes, than helping to change genetics to manipulate a person's height.

I honestly am glad that I got the short end of the stick in the genetics. I would not fit in at all with my family, and I would much rather fit in, than stand out. I don't talk to the tall side of the family anyway, so it would be super awkward at family reunions being the tallest one there.

I am pro at maneuvering through crowds, and disappearing when I need to, and if I were tall, I wouldn't have those special skills in life. I would have to try harder to be adorable, and people would actually expect me to act my age. Not that I don't, but sometimes I don't feel like dressing up nice, and would rather be in a pair of old jeans and my faded Superman T-shirt, and not have people judge me for it.

Being short is fun, and I am glad that the universe decided to have some humor with my height and my birthday. It's a lot easier to laugh at all of the short jokes when you have something that can top or at least compete with them. I can wear as much green as I want that day, and no matter how tacky it is, and I do mean tacky, people just go with it, because I am little, and cute, so I can pull it off.

Most average height people only do a green shirt, or jacket, if that, but since I am small, I could literally walk around in a Leprechaun costume, and no one would question it, because I am short, so it works. I have seen taller people try and pull it off, but it doesn't work as well. That's why I recommend finding what works for you no matter what height you are, and working with what you have. Things tend to go a little smoother that way.
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Short, Sweet and Awesome

Short people have some major advantages in life, and I like it that way. Sometimes I really wish I were taller, but in the end I am glad to be who I am. For instance I can get a lot of help, because I am little, and everyone knows that I can't reach the top shelf. I could strategically figure out a way to get it, but sometimes it's nice for someone just to grab it, instead of trying to climb all of the shelves to reach it.

Monica Padman sums up everything in her post "10 things that are awesome about being short." Her list of 10 includes:

1. You are always dating up.
2. Taking a place in the Olympics is in the realm of possibilities for you.
3. If your house is broken into, the hiding options are endless.
4. Don't worry you'll burn it off.
5. The Kid whisperer 
6. The Limbo is easy for you.
7. You don't have to wear flats to prom.
8. You are a walking conversation starter.
9. You are always the most considerate person in the room.
10. You can shop in the kids section.

I agree with everything on the list, because it is all true in the life of a short person. I could rock stiletto heels every single day, but I actually prefer to wear flats, because I honestly have no idea what to do with the extra height. I feel really weird actually looking a normal size person in the eye without looking up.

Most people aren't afraid to talk to me, and I am not afraid to them, because usually the conversation is something about me being super cute and little.  It generally works in my favor, and I am really glad it does. Most of my clients that I do advertising for are willing to work with me, because I am little, and they see me as trustworthy. I get people that weren't interested at first, but after talking with me for a few minutes, they change their minds. I credit my successes to being short and adorable.  

I try my hardest not to step on any toes when I am in a room with a lot of people, and I never get in anyone's way, because I don't take up a lot of space, and if I am in a crowd with tall people I usually disappear, because I am so short.

Being short has its perks. It really does. You just might have to look a little bit to find them.
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Magic Lives Forever

Being a little person means a lot of things, but my favorite thing about being short is that the magic in life never has to go away. When you are little, everything is still magical and amazing in life. The Disney princesses will ALWAYS be taller than you. (Mostly because in order to be a Disney Princess at Disneyland, you have to be at least 5ft 6in.) Mickey will always be bigger in real life than he is on T.V., and Superman and Batman will always look like the coolest people ever.

Cedar City has a storybook parade every year, and this year I got to go with my roommate. If you haven't been, and are young at heart, I would recommend going, because it truly is magical. It doubles as a Christmas parade, and a story book character parade, and it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Starting with Santa riding over the parade route and waving to everyone from a helicopter, followed by any and all story book characters you can think of. It's the truth. I saw everywhere from the classic parade characters like Mickey Mouse, to obscure ones that no one has like Bear in the Big Blue house, and Maleficent.

I was just as excited as the kids when I saw Santa ride by in the helicopter, the Disney princesses walk by, and I practically screamed when I saw Mickey Mouse. If I were taller, and didn't have the adorable complex, it would have been weird, but since I am vertically impaired, and do have the adorable complex, I didn't get as many strange looks as I should have. It also helped that my roommate was just as excited.

Things like that absolutely make my day, because I know for a little kid seeing Captain America, or Cinderella walking by in a parade, or somewhere else in public, the experience is absolutely magical. It's like that person that you have admired forever  just showed up to make your day. The people are just doing their jobs, but the effect they have on the kids who see them as a hero, lasts forever.

I know that the people in the costumes are people just like you or me, but the fact that they are willing to put on that costume, and make a little bit of magic in somebody's life, makes them amazing. The costumes are usually not the most comfortable, but they still say yes to being that character, and that's something to be admired.

Sometimes I like the little kid at heart take over and let everything be a magical adventure. Shooting stars are for wishing without question. There is something amazing just over the rainbow, and in the words of one of the most magical people of all time Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it." I love trying to find the little bits of magic and happiness in my day, that I might not notice if my little kid at heart didn't take over as often as it does.

Life is more fun when you take the time to notice the little things that seem magical everyday. The adult in me knows why the flowers grow, why the sunsets are pretty, and why the stars seem to sparkle at night, but when the kid at heart takes over, the answer just becomes magic. I like that answer a bit better, because I didn't have to take physical science or biology to come up with it. The answer is simple, and when life is simple it tends to be way more fun.

Sometimes I wish I was tall, but then I don't think I would want to make life as fun, because people would probably tell me to act my age more often. Taller people look older and more mature, because they have the extra height, but when you are small like me, people have a hard time guessing how old you are. I still have yet to have someone guess it right. I either get a younger age like 15 or 16, or I get pegged in the older college student category of 23 or 24.

It's all based on how I am acting or how I am dressed. When I act professional for my advertising job, my clients are often surprised to learn that I am only 20, but then they believe it when I show up a different time dressed in my Superman T-shirt to pick up the monthly check. I don't always follow the proper protocol for dressing like a professional, but when you are short and adorable like I am, you can get away with it.

That's part of the magic of being short. You can still be amazed by everything in life, and instead of people thinking there might be something wrong with you, they think you are absolutely adorable. I am a pretty well educated person. I won't say I am the smartest person ever,  but I know how the world works, and still try to find little bits of magic between the lines of logic and reason. That is what makes life entertaining. We are here to enjoy the things in life, and sometimes a little magic helps make life more fun.

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Learning From the Little

Being a vertically impaired person, I look up to people all the time. Most of the time it's so I can actually see them, but sometimes it's as an example. Since that is basically every day of my life, I have never really thought about who looks up to me.

A lot of people ask me to watch their kids, because I still act like a kid, and will keep them entertained for hours, and parents know that I am responsible enough to keep them safe, and watch out for them. I don't mind usually, because children are generally sweet, and love you unconditionally no matter what you do in your life.

I am a 4-H Mentor at school, and the little girl that I mentor looks up to me, (both figuratively and physically.) She thinks I am the coolest person ever, because she knows that I am just there to make her happy, and she is always really excited when I show up, even when I show up a few minutes late.

She thinks everything about my life is so cool, and for me, it's just school. Kids like to hear about things they can do when they grow up. She wants to ride my roommate's bike, that is a little too big for me, but she wants to show me that she can do anything, so every week, we strategically get her on the bike, and as soon as she gets going, I can barely get her off.

Things like credit cards and debt don't make sense to kids. They understand cash, but when we get ice cream and I have to pay with my credit card, because I am a poor college student that doesn't have actual cash in my wallet, the idea of paying for the item doesn't make sense. The girl I mentor decided that was the reason I don't have a car. It's not the actual reason, but if it makes sense to her, it works for me.

Kids LOVE to tell stories. Seriously, if you let a kid tell you a story, they will try to go on forever. When I go to do my mentoring, or go home for the weekend and walk dogs, I get all kinds of stories from. Apparently to be really fast in life, you have to have cheetah print shoes, and if you can get a shirt and a pair of pants with the same design, you are golden, and no one will ever catch up to you.

Some kids have their lives figured out by the age of 10. One of the kids that lives in my mom's neighborhood told me all about how he is going to go to Harvard, and play on their baseball team, and win lots of trophies, and go on to be a great baseball player in the MLB. I am a junior in college, and I don't even have my life planned out that far.

Kids know what people are worth being around, because they can tell if you are being genuine with them. Adults know when someone is full of it, but we all have this shell that we protect ourselves with, because we know that not everyone is as good as they may appear to be. Kids are willing to give everyone a chance, and want to meet different people.

Being an adult can be hard, especially when you are just starting out, and figuring out what you want to do with your life. Sometimes because life is hard, we tend to focus more on ourselves, and try to block out the world, so we can get ahead of things. Kids have struggles, but they still want to be social, and they try to make friends.

Kids are still curious about the world, and love to ask how things work, or why things are the way they are. Most adults kind of give up on questioning life. We think we have had enough life experience or classes, that we should know enough, so we don't ask more questions. I am guilty of this. Sometimes I do have questions in my classes, but I don't ask, because I don't want to ask a dumb question. Kids don't care if they sound dumb or not, they just want an answer.

The kids that look up to me think I am a genius. I wouldn't call myself that, but they like to think so, so I try my best to answer whatever questions they have. My neighbors granddaughters love to ask me how things work like phones. They want to know why some phones plug in to the wall, and why cell phones don't. I basically know the difference, but it's hard to explain to a six year old, so I did my best, and it was enough for her, so I felt accomplished.

I think people can benefit from discovering the world by asking questions. The world can be a mystery if we let it, and then it becomes something for us to solve. As a very fun kid from one of my favorite movies said "Adventure's out there," and if that means having to use my imagination to get there, I say bring it on.
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A Person's a Person No Matter How Small

The title is inspired by a quote by Dr. Seuss, you know the guy that wrote The Cat In The Hat, and Horton Hears a Who? It's one of my favorite quotes by him, because being a small individual, sometimes it may be hard to actually feel like a person when everything around you is so much bigger than you.

Being little definitely has its advantages, but sometimes being short is no walk in the park. Sometimes short people get a little overlooked because they are small, and because of their stature they don't quite hold as much power as the average person.

Every deserves respect whether you are big or small. It's just a fact of life. We are not born in this world to disrespect each other, and tear each other down. At least that's my opinion. The world is a so much better place when we work to build each other up instead of pushing people down to get a head in life.

Being short I get all of the short jokes that people can come up with. I totally understand using them, and tend to laugh at them the first time I hear them, but when 10 different people use the same exact short joke on me, it gets old fast. Think about it, if you were a short person, and most people you came in contact with had some sort of opinion on being short, would you want to keep listening to it? Short people aren't the only ones that end up with a book of jokes dedicated to them, anyone can fall into this cycle without really having to try.

Ginger, Shorty, Small fry, Giraffe, Shrimp, Walking Mountain, I could go on, but it would literally go forever with the different names that people use against each other, when there's really no need for it. Everyone is important, and has a purpose in life, even if it is not the same purpose in life as somebody else. Taylor Swift covers the topic in her song "Mean," when she tells the story of how the person that chose to be unkind to another person ended up nowhere in life, and the person that they picked on, became someone big in this world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE

My Sophomore year in college I took a class known as Intro to Physical Education. No I am not an Phys. Ed major, but that class was well worth the time that I spent there. The teacher only teaches classes that aren't required by any major to take, so no one takes his class without an actual desire to be in it. That was his goal, and I think that's a good thing to have as a teacher. When people actually took the class, because they want to be there, everything in the class is so much better.

Everyday in that class is like a personal morale boost, because of the things that you learn in the class. Bob Trythall instructed the course and his goal was to help each student feel their potential in life. The first day and every day after, he told us that each person is a miracle, and that we can help people to feel that through the way we treat them. Our thoughts determine our actions, our actions determine our behaviors, and our behaviors determine our results. I have the paper that he gave us with all of his "life with Bob" advise on it taped to my wall in my room, and I love reading it, because it reminds me that even a small person like me can make a big difference in the world if I put my mind to it.

If we look for the positive things in other people instead of the flaws that we see people will be more willing to put in their best efforts in life. Whether you are vertically impaired, or the super tall person that basically has a spot always available on the NBA, everyone deserves to feel good about themselves and what they do in life. I say we all do our part to make that happen. It really doesn't take a lot. All it takes is a kind word, or a small act of kindness towards another person. Even if you don't think you can do anything that will make someone's day better, saying a friendly "hello" might just make somebody's day.

It really does work. I have a hipster Mickey Mouse T-shirt that I like to wear, but I never imagined that it would actually make a difference in somebody's day. A few weeks ago, I decided to stop at Subway for dinner on my way home from work, and the girl who was working asked if I was a student and I told her yes, then she told me she saw me on campus earlier that day, and said that when she saw my shirt, she said to herself "If Mickey can do it, then I can do it." It made her whole day better, and I wasn't even trying to do that. I just like the shirt.

Each of us can make a difference in someone's life even if we don't see it as much, you never know how much something can mean to somebody else. We all have a purpose in life, and we are all miracles, so let's go share it with the rest of the world.

#WeCanMakeADifference #LittleThingsEveryday #ShareASmile
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