Since kindergarten, I have consistently been the shortest person in every class I have been in (with the exception of my senior year growth spurt of one inch). Here are the problems faced from the perspective of a person five feet and one half inch tall.

1. The most obvious, most of life is literally out of reach

At my current hostessing job, the menus are typically placed on a shelf a solid foot above my head. There has not yet been a shift in which I haven't accidentally thrown menus across the dining room floor as I gracefully hop to grab a few. If I had a dollar for every shelf I can't reach, I'd be swimming in benjamins.

2. Speaking of swimming...

Nothing like a nice chat with a friend in the shallow end, until you slowly approach the dramatic drop into the deep end. It's quite hard to continue a conversation when you're winded from trying to keep your head above water... when you are only in 4.5 feet of water.

3. Bad genes = bad jeans

I have yet to find the perfect pair of jeans for the vertically challenged female. Nothing worse than finding the cutest pair of jeans, bringing them home, and $85 later you find yourself with pants that are long enough to cover your entire foot. I currently wear a size 12 in Gap Kids jeans.

4. When a t-shirt dress looks more like a hospital gown

The worst part of summertime is finding dresses that don't go past my knees, and I'm not yet desperate enough to get a t-shirt dress professionally hemmed (I'm almost there).

5. Every genius who thinks "Wow, you're short!" is a clever way to start conversation

This may be shocking, but yes, I am aware that I am shorter than the typical person. I cannot even begin to explain how often someone will make an unsolicited comment regarding my below-average height. No, I won't grow any more. Yes, I am actually over the 5' mark (by half an inch).

For fun: me next to a very tall man.