Being tall is a lot of things. There’s a lot of good, and a lot of bad. At times I wish I was shorter, but most of the time I like the height.

For my entire life, family get-togethers have been an absolute nightmare. In intervals of around 30 seconds, someone I don’t remember will first, ask me if I remember them, then ask how tall I am and if I’d grown since they last saw me, and then ask if I play basketball.

Some may say that this doesn’t seem so bad. But answering these questions a hundred times in a few minutes starts to get irritating.

Yes, I have noticed, I am tall.

Here’s a list of the things I hear on a daily basis:
• “How’s the weather up there?”
• “Do you play basketball?”
• “How tall are you?”
• “Have you grown since we last met?”
• “Is it weird seeing the tops of everyones’ heads?”
• “When are you going to stop growing?”
• “You are so tall!”

Other than being told numerous times that I’m tall, I have some physical challenges, too. I know how crazy this sounds, but I literally have to duck down to get into my own room. Imagine coming home form a long day at work, attempting to enter your room and then thumping your head on the doorway. I wish I was making this up.

Another physical annoyance is when I’m trying to find pants. I find a pair and they’re either too wide or too short. Very rarely do I find a pair that is just right. If I was just a few inches taller, I would have to get specially made, off brand pants. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t have to come to that.

Everyone takes a group picture at some point in their life. I have taken many and I don’t believe I’ve ever been in the front row. “Cameron, you’re the tallest. Get in the back.” It gets a little old when you’ve had to deal with it for over 17 years. Sometimes I’ll be assigned to stand behind someone a few inches shorter than me and half of my face will be covered. Again, it gets a little annoying.

Although I can get irritated with day-to-day occurrences, it’s not all so bad. There’s a lot of areas where I have advantages. Being tall is cool because you feel more powerful and can get peoples’ attention easier. Sports are also fun because I have better reach than a lot of people.

In one example, I’m on the swim team. When I start off the diving block, I can usually dive out farther than most of the other swimmers, giving me a huge advantage.

I’m also really useful when it comes to work because of my height. Another employee will either take the time to get a ladder, or they can call on your boy Cameron. I’m more reliable than any ladder. What more could anybody ask for?

Going back to sports, I’m a first-year tennis player. For just starting I’m pretty decent. My teammates even call me “The Wall” because of my crazy reach. If any ball comes near me, I’m usually able to block it by simply extending my arm across the entire court. I also have an advantage when it comes to serving, because I can serve straighter, rather than worrying about getting it over the net. I wish I had started playing tennis sooner, but that’s a topic for another day.

Although there are definitely some annoying aspects of being as tall as I am, I enjoy it and try to stay on the optimistic side of my situation. There are tons of people in the world who will never even reach five feet tall. Now that’s something to really complain about. I would definitely consider myself very lucky being this tall, due to the numerous advantages I have.