Five feet off the ground is a funny height for a man. Almost all the time I take a selfie, my feet keep showing their faces to say, “Hi, I'm part of this body you know.”
Somehow, my body has refused to grow bigger or taller — just, you know, aging. 😄
I was taunted so much when I was a kid because of my height. My smallish stature always stood me out among my peers. I was older than most kids in the compound we lived in. It used to feel humiliating. But it didn't bother me much, until I grew a bit older. Then came the shift.
It was in Senior Secondary School that I started caving into those taunts. I started becoming reactive. The easiest way people could get on my nerves was when they called me “shorty”. One girl had to deal with the monster in me when she took it overboard.
I had gotten her Geography notebook to copy notes she took down from the previous class into my own notebook. I couldn't complete the notes that day, so I took her notebook home. Early the next day, after the general morning assembly, she came directly to me, and confronted me. Without even letting me explain, she snatched her notebook from my hands and finished me off with, “you dwarf.”
I didn't care about the school rules nor the consequences; I gave her the hardest slap my right hand could conjure up. It sent her quivering on the ground.
Fortunately for me, the Principal who witnessed the scene from his office window didn't punish me but sent me straight to the school's Counsellor.
That day, I realized that it was just self-esteem issues but there was a deep seated anger inside. Mrs. Inah told me something that changed my perception. She said, “One day, you'll grow older and you'll see that there are many kids who'd need your help with their self-esteem.”
Honestly, I didn't understand what she meant, but that statement changed my thinking. She made me apologize to my classmate openly in class, and made them apologize to me too, and to stop the name calling.
But since then, her words never left my head. I still battled with self-esteem, but when I remember her words, that many kids would need my help with their own self-esteem it kept me heads up.
Today, those words are ringing true. I work as a Teacher in a Secondary School, and I see similar scenarios too. I counsel many of them by sharing my story, and telling them the same words Mrs Inah told me.
I have come to love who I am. Though I still have fears and doubts, I kind of feel confident knowing that I am aligned with purpose. I read good books, and good music that keeps my mind alive and sharp. And yes, people still try to insult me, but I control the narrative now. I remind myself everyday that many kids are looking up to me to learn how to better handle issues with their self-esteem.
I only have one life. I can't afford not to be happy with who I am.
Thank you for reading.
This is my entry for the topic:
Are you happy with who you are?