The 168.8 Centimeter Melancholy

The controversy over the remark that "men under 170 centimeters have no human rights" is in the news, isn't it? So close. I missed the 170-centimeter mark. I was only 1.2 centimeters away.

Putting that aside, the person who made the remark has apologized, so I hope they reflect on it and make a comeback. I have made incorrect statements in the past myself, and I still find myself making slip-ups even now.

Honestly, there are times when I wish I had reached 170 centimeters. But it's just wanting what you can't have. If I were 170 centimeters, I might have thought, "I wish I were 175 centimeters..."

Come to think of it, in my family, my father is 167 centimeters, my mother is 148 centimeters, and my sister is 153 centimeters...

...Yes.

It's genetics.

That's the end of it. Thank you for the conclusion. My grandparents were the same, so it couldn't be helped.

No, wait a minute.

Given this genetics, I think I actually grew quite a bit. I couldn't complain if I were even shorter. Yes, I grew well.

That might be because my mother, thinking about her children's growth from a young age, made nutritious meals for us, made us drink plenty of milk, and even tried everything she could, like making us eat five dried sardines every morning.

Dried sardines... well, they aren't exactly, um, delicious. Well, it's not certain now what scientific effect that had on my growth, haha... but the results of all those efforts must have helped me grow taller.

I really think it's all about perspective.

It's not "I'm only 168.8 centimeters," but "I'm a whole 168.8 centimeters."
You grew well. Thank you.

When I think of it that way, my back naturally straightens and my posture improves.

And I'll add that at 43 years old, I still haven't given up on reaching 170 centimeters.

I believe I might grow somewhere. Isn't it possible that by some mistake, a misaligned bone could shift back and make me grow nearly a centimeter?

I can't give up on that last 1.2 centimeters. I trust my mother. Should I try dried sardines again for the first time in 25 years?