So JB and I went to Hobby Lobby the other day. Not somewhere we have actually ever been before but our godson Sam wanted art supplies for Christmas so we ventured out.
While there, we spotted candles 50% off! We meandered down the aisle, pulling off glass lids and smelling them, filling our cart with cheap candles.
It was the fifth candle that did me in.
I twisted the lid, that glass broke, and I sliced my palm. My doctor-to-be husband grabbed my hand, and immediately noted that I did not need stitches. I agreed (and I am a professional with this type of stuff you know) , but we both realized we needed a bandaid or a paper towel or something -- fast. My palm was filling up with blood while we stood there.
John started looking for someone to help us and just about this time, this young Hobby Lobby employee came down the aisle. John asked her for a bandaid. She looked at my hand, saw the pool of blood, looked up at me and said (and I quote) "Oh my gosh your are freakin' tall!"
Now those of you that know me well know how I feel about this. I think telling someone they are tall (or asking them where they find clothes that big, or how the weather is, or if they play basketball, or how big their feet are, or how they found a husband their height, or if they are on stilts etc.) is the same as telling someone they are fat or ugly or short. I think allowing your child to stare at someone because they are tall and encouraging them to do this is the same as reminding them to point at the midget or the guy in a wheel chair when he passes you in the mall. I also think turning around and saying, "Well yes she is tall isn't she. I betcha she's as tall as your daddy. I betcha she plays basketball," is also unacceptable.
I have gotten in discussions with many of you reading this about just that topic. If you are a guy, you don't think it is a big deal. My brother could care less if someone says something to him about being tall. I don't feel the same way. Many of you don't agree with me and many people in the general public feel the same. They think being tall is considered a good thing and therefore, staring is permitted. This got me to thinking about other physical attributes that could be considered good things. Is it okay to encourage your child to stare at a woman with a large chest? Is that a good thing? What about someone who is very skinny? Isn't skinny a good thing? I don't know. I think the whole, "it's okay to stare at you and make comments about you because tall is a good thing" is kind of a crappy excuse.
We didn't respond to the woman in the Hobby Lobby aisle. I was too busy concentrating on my precarious walking as we followed her to the frame shop to find a bandaid so that the blood stayed in my palm. JB was actually a little fired up. When we climbed into the car later he said, "I couldn't believe that girl. I thought she was going to say, holy cow look at your hand and instead, while you are bleeding, she's worried about how tall you are."
I have to say that one of the perks with living in the north is the decreased frequency of tall comments that I get here. I was actually on the elevator the other day with two other women who were close to my height and one short male doctor. When the other two women got off on a floor he said to me, "you know you are in Minnesota when you can ride an elevator with three six foot tall women." There are a lot more tall women here than there are in the south and there are especially more tall women here than there are in the mostly Hispanic south Florida area.
When I tell people how often people comment about my height in south Florida they are often shocked. But it is the truth. I have decided that to prove this, next week, when I head home to Florida, I am going to compile all the comments I receive and the frequency I receive them and post one blog that details the rudeness. I think this will also make receiving the comments slightly more enjoyable because they will add to proving my point.
Now that I say this, this will probably be my first Christmas of no comments. I'll probably be walking through the mall getting mad at people for not saying something. Speaking of the mall, sometimes, people appreciate your tallness at the mall. I vividly remember one time, when I was about 12, that a little boy let go of his balloon in the mall. My dad walked over and decided to help. Unfortunately, even he was a few inches too short. He laughed and told the parents that the only way he could get the balloon is if they let him hold their kid above his head to grab it. Before we realized it, they were handing them their son and my dad was holding him high above his head as the year old little boy grabbed his balloon and stopped crying. Everyone in the food court started applauding. That was a good tall moment.
So anyways, about those tall comments. Tune in later for more.
Oh, and just to let you know, my hand is fine ... and so are my feelings.
No comments:
Post a Comment