\u201cThe Incredible Shrinking Man\u201d was a hit movie in 1957, at least for my 14-year-old friends and me. Now I\u2019ve discovered that I, too, am an incredible shrinking man. Incredible because I\u2019m becoming \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d as well. Just like the character in the comic book of the 1950\u2019s of the same name. But more about my invisibility later, first I\u2019ll deal with the shrinking factor.<\/p>\n
I was over six-feet tall when I graduated from high school. I stayed that way, for decades, I guess; I don\u2019t know for sure because they don\u2019t measure your height when you go to the doctor; they just weigh you and then ask how tall you are. I didn\u2019t know I was shrinking. I had a disc in my back removed and lost some height. And I got old, which is the big factor in this shrinking phenomenon. <\/span><\/p>\n I asked the nurse to measure my height a few years ago. The measuring device is right next to the scale, but they don\u2019t use it on adults. \u201cYou\u2019re five-eleven and one-half,\u201d she said. I was surprised; I\u2019d slipped below the six-foot mark. The number I\u2019d used on a multitude of forms and applications over the years were a lie. <\/p>\n This year I asked again, and learned I\u2019d shrunk even more, \u201cYou\u2019re not quite five-eleven.\u201d Our bodies settle over time, like those rusting hulks of old cars you see in the country, slowly sinking into the weeds. I needed to change my pant leg size from 32 inches to 31, but they don\u2019t make them in a 31. So I now have a wad of cloth nestled on top of my shoes. I don\u2019t know how far this will go; I just hope I\u2019ll be around long enough to be called \u201cShorty.\u201d <\/p>\n