I'm short. I'm five foot five-well, five foot six if I want to impress someone. If the average height of American men is five foot ten, that means I'm nearly half a foot shorter than the average Joe out there. And then there are the basketball players.

My height has always been something that's set me apart; it's helped define me. It's just that as long as I can remember, I haven't liked the definition very much. Every Sunday when I was in grade school my dad and I would watch ESPN Primetime Football. Playing with friends at home, I always imagined the booming ESPN voice of Chris Berman giving the play-by-play of our street football games. But no matter how well I performed at home with friends, during school recess the stigma of “short kid” stuck with me while they were choosing teams.

Still concerned as Senior year rolled along, I visited a growth specialist. Pacing the exam room in a shaky, elliptical orbit, I worried, “what if I've stopped growing? Will my sociall status forever be marked by my shortness? ” In a grade school dream, I imagined Chris “ESPN” Berman's voice as he analyzed the fantastic catch I had made for a touchdown when – with a start – the doctor strode in. Damp with nervous sweat, I sat quietly with my mom as he showed us the x-ray taken of my hand. The bones in my seventeen year old body had matured. I would not grow anymore.

Whoa. I clenched the steering wheel in frustration as I drove home. What good were my grades and “college transcript” achievements when even my friends poked fun at the short kid? What good was it to pray, or to genuinely live a life of love? no matter how many Taekwondo medals I had won, could I ever be considered truly athletic in a wiry, five foot five frame/體型? I could be dark and handsome, but could I ever be the “tall” in “tall, dark and handsome? ” all I wanted was someone special to look up into my eyes; all I wanted was someone to ask, “ could you reach that for me”

It's been hard to deal with. I haven't answered all those questions, but I have learned that height isn't all it's made out to be. I'd rather be a shorter, compassionate person that a tall tyrant. I can be a giant in so many other ways： intellectually, spiritually and emotionally.

I've ironically grown taller from being short. It's enriched my life. Being short has certainly had its advantages. While I was growing up in earthquake prone California, for example, my teachers constantly praise my “duck and cover” skills. The school budget was tight and the desks were so small an occasional limb could always be seen sticking out. Yet Chris Shim, “blessed” in height, always managed to squeeze himself into a compact and safe fetal position. The same quality has paid off in hide – and –go – seek.(I'm the unofficial champion on my block.)

Lincoln once debated with Senator Stephan A.Douglas – a magnifyicent orator, nationally recognized as the leader of the Democratic party of 1858 … and barely five feet four inches （1米64） tall. It seems silly, but standing on the floor of the Senate last year I remembered Senator Douglas and imagined that I would one day debate with a future president. (it helped to have a tall, lanky, bearded man with a stove – top hat talk with me that afternoon.) but I could just as easily become an astronaut, if not for my child – like, gaping – mouth – eyes – straining wonderment at the stars, then maybe in the hope of growing a few inches (the spine spontaneously expands in the absence of gravity).

Even at five feet, six inches, the actor Dustin Hoffman HELD HIS OWN AGAINST Tom Cruise in the movie “Rain man” and went on to win his second Academy ward for BEST Actor. Michael J. Fox (five feet five) constantly uses taller actors to his comedic advantage. Height has enhanced the athleticism of “Muggsy” Bogues, the shortest player in the history of the NBA at five foot three. He's used that edge to lead his basketball team in steals (they don't call him “Muggsy” for nothing). Their height has put no limits to their work in the arts or athletics. Neither will mine.

I'm five foot five. I've struggled with it at times, but I've realized that being five –five can't stop me from joining the Senate. It won't stern ( 阻止，遏制) my dream of becoming an astronaut (I even have the application from NASA). My height can't prevent me from directing a movie and excelling in Taekwondo (or even basketball). At five foot five I can laugh, jump, run, dance, write, paint, help, volunteer, pray, love and cry. I can break 100 in bowling. I can sing along to Nat King Cole. I can recite Audrey Hepburn's lines from Breakfast at Tiffany's. I can run the mile in under six minutes, dance like wild monkey and be hopelessly wrapped up in a good book (though I have yet to master the ability to do it all at once). I've learned that my height, even as defining characteristic, is only a part of the whole. It won't limit me. Besides, this way I'll never outgrow my favorite plaid short.

參考譯文：

我很矮，只有5英尺5英寸高——為了更好地表現(xiàn)自己，給別人留下稍好一點(diǎn)的印象，我會說我有 5英尺6英寸高。如果美國男子平均身高是5英尺10英寸，那么我的身高差不多比那些哥們兒少了半英尺。更別提與籃球隊(duì)運(yùn)動員相比了。

身高總是一個把我區(qū)別于他人的因素，身高定義了我這個人。自從記事以來，我從未喜歡過這種 別人用來定義我的方式。記得還在上小學(xué)時，每逢星期六，我和父親總是愛看ESPN臺黃金時間的橄欖球比賽。在和其他小朋友一起玩耍的時候，我總是想象著克里斯?波爾曼用他那低沉的聲音現(xiàn)場解說橄欖球比賽的情景。然而不論我在家和小朋友打籃球的技術(shù)有多好，學(xué)校挑選運(yùn)動員

時，“矮子”的恥辱總是跟隨著我，使我無法如愿以償。

上高二時，我仍然擔(dān)心著自己的身高，就去看了一名增高專家。我一邊在檢查室里的那個晃動著 的橢圓形軌道上踱步，一邊焦慮地想：如果我停止長高怎么辦？我的社會地位將永遠(yuǎn)被標(biāo)著一 個“矮子”的記號嗎？我回想起一個上小學(xué)時常做的夢，夢里回蕩的全是ESPN臺克里斯?波爾曼的 聲音。他在解說一場橄欖球比賽中我的一個精彩按球觸地動作……就在這時，醫(yī)生打斷了我的“白 日夢”，大踏步地走進(jìn)檢查室。我緊張地出了一身冷汗，乖乖地坐在我媽身邊，聽著醫(yī)生講解我手掌的X光片。在我17歲的身體里，所有的骨骼都已成形，我將永遠(yuǎn)不可能再長高了。

哦！回家的路上，我緊握著方向盤，滿心的沮喪和失落。當(dāng)朋友們都因我矮而取笑我時，優(yōu)秀的 學(xué)習(xí)成績和大學(xué)成績單還能給我?guī)硎裁春锰?？為一個充滿愛的生命的祈禱能有什么用？不論我 已經(jīng)獲得了多少空手道的獎牌，在一個瘦小的5英尺5英寸高的框框下，能被真正看成是一個運(yùn)動員嗎？我能變得“黝黑”和“英俊”，但我能變得“高大”，就是“黝黑和英俊”里的“高大”嗎？我所想要的一切也只是想讓一個特別有聲望的人能仰頭望著我的眼睛；我所想要的一切也只是希望有人能 問我一句：“你能幫我夠到那樣?xùn)|西嗎？”

可想而知，這對我來說有多么的難。雖然我還不能回答所有那些問題，但我已經(jīng)明白身高并不代表一切，我寧愿做個矮小卻充滿激情的人，而不愿成為一個高大的暴君。我可以用其他方式成為一個巨人：在智慧上、靈魂上和感情上高大而富有。

出乎意料的是我從自己的矮小身材中成長了很多，它豐富了我的生活。矮小當(dāng)然不乏其優(yōu)勢。當(dāng)我在加州地震長大時，老師們總是夸我“躲避隱藏”的技能高超——當(dāng)時學(xué)校財政緊張，課桌做得

非常小，到需要避震時，我們就得躲到課桌下，一不小心，胳膊或腿就露在課桌外，失去保護(hù)。 然而我——克里斯朵夫?史姆同志，卻被他的身高“關(guān)照著”，總能設(shè)法將自己壓縮在一個安全范圍中，妥善地保護(hù)自己。這種優(yōu)勢還曾令我在“躲藏——前進(jìn)——找”的競賽中獲利（我是我們屬區(qū) 非正式比賽的冠軍）。

林肯曾和議員斯坦芬?道格拉斯辯論過。斯坦芬是一名優(yōu)秀的演說家，被全美公認(rèn)為1858年民主黨的領(lǐng)袖。他只有不到5英尺4英寸高。這也許聽起來好笑，不過去年的某一天我站在議會廳中， 想起了道格拉斯議員，并想象著將來有一天我也能象他一樣和未來的美國總統(tǒng)辯論（在那個下午，一個高瘦高瘦，滿臉胡須，戴一頂象爐灶頂?shù)拿弊拥娜伺c我的談話使我受益非淺）。我還想 成為一名宇航員，因?yàn)槲以鞆堉笞煅鐾强?。幻想著我在太空中因失重而脊椎骨伸長，搖 身一變成了一個標(biāo)準(zhǔn)身材的人。

雖然只有5英尺6英寸高，男影星達(dá)斯汀?霍夫曼卻能讓自己和湯姆?克魯斯在電影《雨人》中同臺獻(xiàn)技，贏得了他第二個奧斯卡最佳男主角獎。邁克爾?福克斯（5英尺5英寸）不斷地運(yùn)用比他身 材高的男演員與他一起達(dá)到他在喜劇效果上的優(yōu)勢。在NBA籃球史上最矮的、只有5英尺3英寸的伯格斯在體育界出盡風(fēng)頭，他用身材矮小的優(yōu)勢帶領(lǐng)他的籃球隊(duì)友們施展“偷球”本領(lǐng)（所以大家 叫他“馬格?！辈皇菦]有道理的，他是很受歡迎的。）他們的身高不論在文藝上或是體育上都沒有 限制他們的發(fā)展，身高也絕不會束縛我。

我5英尺5英寸，曾多次為此爾掙扎，但我已意識到，5英尺5英寸既不會阻止我加入議員的行列， 也不會阻止我成為宇航員的夢想。（我甚至已經(jīng)有了申請NASA宇航學(xué)院的申請表）我的身高也 不會限制我導(dǎo)演一部電影并在空手道競賽中又出色表現(xiàn)（或者甚至是籃球賽中）。身高5尺5，我 能笑、能跳、能跑、能舞、能寫、能畫、能幫助別人、能成為志愿者、能祈禱、能愛、也能哭。 我能打破保齡球100分的記錄，能和Nat King Cole一起唱歌，能一句不落地背誦電影《蒂芬尼的早餐中》奧黛麗?赫本的臺詞，能在6分鐘內(nèi)跑完1海里，能象一只野猴一樣狂舞或全神貫注、 不可救藥地被一本書深深吸引（雖然我還沒有本事同時將所有這些事一起做完）。我已經(jīng)懂得身 高雖然是我的標(biāo)志，但只是我生命中的一部分，它不能限制我。而且，這樣的身高，我永遠(yuǎn)都不 用擔(dān)心有一天我會穿不下我心愛的格呢襯衫！