On the eve of September 4, I was thrilled to face high school once again. By the time I reached campus the next morning, my excitement gave way to utter confusion. I pondered to myself whether or not the freshmen shrunk. It appears as though they have decreased in height with every passing year. What could possibly be the reason behind this phenomenon? Could it be due to lack of nutrition? Could an increase in gas prices result to a decline in the quantity of food parents feed them? Is it because there’s only one Pop-Tart per bag at school causing starvation during lunch? Did the dog eat their food instead of their homework? This was a conundrum that I was determined to solve. The mystery not only inspired me to reflect upon my freshman days but also to recognize who I am today.

When I was a freshman, everyone was so tall that I couldn’t see their faces unless I gazed up into the sky. Compared to them, it was apparent that I was vertically challenged. Now that I have advanced into the world of the juniors, I still wouldn’t consider myself to be the “tallest.” Ironically, I would look at the vast majority of freshman and consider them undersized. It always seemed to me that they were the ones who would get trampled to death in the crowded school halls. From my perspective, the people in the classes above me were giants, while those below are all deprived of calcium.

I didn’t recognize how wrong I was until I took the time to look at those around me. As a child, my aunt always called me a “midget.” Of course, I was the midget in the family at the time for there were no other children besides myself. Today, I would imagine her to be as tall as ever. To my surprise, I was actually the taller one. It was a proud moment in my life, when I was finally able to look down on the woman I once looked up at. This time, it was my turn to call her a calcium-deprived midget.

The freshmen may not be tall, but neither are they short. They were the same size they have always been. It is not until I realized how I grew up; that I understood how they were simply in the same place I had been two years ago. My memory was merely set on the idea that my elders were always so tall that I was mistakenly led to believe those beneath me were minuscule. I finally understand how righteous former president Richard Nixon was when he said “The memory of that scene for me is like a frame of film, forever frozen at that moment.”