Can you hear me down here?

     *Psst* Over here. No, not there - here. Down here. Hi! It's me. Looked right over my head didn't you? That's ok. It happens all the time. What can be expected when I'm a 22 year old guy who stands at a modest 5 feet 6 inches. It's natural to overlook a man who doesn't fall into the typical tier of "manly." Since a young age, my slight stature was always brought to the center of attention.And as I grew older (but not taller) the attention progressed into teasing. "Shrimp" they'd call me. "MiniMe." "Hobbit Kid." Albeit clever, I did my best to let the gym-class-jeering roll off my back. After all, it's easy to let things roll off one's back when they don't have that far until they hit the ground. Yet, a nasty side affect of teasing couldn't help but occur; stifled under the weight of not being taken seriously, I lost my gumption, my fortitude, my voice. 
     Through the years I learned to embrace my diminutive presence. And when I say "embrace" I mean self deprecate. But in the fun, wacky way. Akin to "when the world laughs at you, laugh along." Beating people to the punch of pointing out my own vertical limitations became a nice self-defense mechanism. And while on the surface the self-made jabs were light hearted - created with a smile - underlying was a sense of apology. Like, "Hey everyone! Look at me - I'm short! :D And I'm really sorry you have to interact with me :/" Until one day, in the midst of getting to know a group of people I'd be spending everyday with, my routine song-and-dance-of-shortness was met with a come back that helped melt away the lackluster view of myself:
     "You're just fun sized."
     Fun sized. I like it I thought to myself. All of a sudden, a fact of life I couldn't change went from a punch-line to a niche. Yes, I'm a short, skinny, perpetually awkward young adult, and I'm really ok with it. It's a trait that accentuates who I am and lends me notice. Some people have a third nipple, some women have carnival-worthy facial hair, I'm short. It's something that lets you pick me out from a crowd. (As long as I'm not in the center of said crowd). 
     By this point, you must be wondering: And you're prattling on about your height becaaaaause...... Well dear friend, my point is that the way the world perceives my outward appearance directly affects my inner core. How I feel, think and react to the world around me. Sometimes positive. Sometimes negative. But it doesn't stop at my own transformation. The shape I internalize from my environment can be externalized to shape the things around me. Hence this nifty little blog. A place I can recapture my voice and share my perspectives - from where I stand - of the world we all share. 
     I won't go as far to say that my blog (entitled with clever word play, if I do say so myself) will be earth-shattering and life-changing. To say that would have me cross the line from "Humble Hobbit Kid" to "Captain Napoleon Complex." The Low-Down is an arena in which I can muse. And my musings will range from controversial, to deep, to light-hearted, to frothy whimsy.
     Your job is to just read, whether you are moved to comment or not. Whether my words stick in your head or fall out of memory within the hour. I'm here to stay.


     They say big things come in small packages. Gosh, I hope they're right.