Six Feet and Two Inches

To all of the strangers who approach me in the grocery store, 

No, I do not play basketball. Yes, I know I should really consider it.

I am 6'2". Yes, really.

Yes, the weather is nice up here. Thank you for asking. 

Of course, I don't mind reaching to the top aisle for your favorite hidden gem of offbrand cereal. That's what my height is good for, right? 

No, I don't have a superhuman 8'3" boyfriend, and yes, I know I will probably end up with an NBA star. 

Now that I've answered the questions you've said out loud, let me answer the socially unacceptable ones in your head. 

Yes, it is hard sometimes to be a 6'2" girl, and yes, sometimes I feel like a freak. 

And yes, sometimes I wonder why I had to be given this burden that makes me impossible to miss, that makes me stand out in every crowd, and that seems to define me to the rest of the world. 

But it is still a part of me. 

So, no, I don't play basketball because I don't let my height define my choices or who I will become. 

So, yes, I really am 6'2", but I wouldn't give it up for the world because it has made me learn how to accept my own flaws, as well as other people's. 

I am proud to be tall, even if sometimes that is hard to see. 

I hope you have gained a new perspective from meeting me on your grocery run. I hope you have learned something about accepting who you are because I know that I am beginning to accept myself. 

Sincerely, 

Zoë Carpenter (the tall girl) 

P.S. Call me over if you need help reaching the tortilla chips on the top shelf.