Do I wish the height lottery didn’t pass me over? I guess so. To put it simply, people who possess tall stature are more highly regarded. Those blessed with height enjoy more athletic opportunities, stand out among the vertically challenged, and can perform everyday tasks with more ease.

In the same way that my parents held out hope that I would be a prodigy, they also crossed their fingers that I would be gifted with some of the height they were deprived of. My doctor gave false hope. When I was born, he predicted that I would shoot through the six-foot threshold. He tabbed me at 6’2.

I would have been happy with just reaching 5′10.

From middle school and beyond, I was always average when it came to height. I stood in direct contrast to one of my best high school friends, Erik, who is 6’9.

At first, it looked like my doctor knew what he was talking about. Through elementary school I towered over most of my classmates. I walked at the back of the line, stood on the top risers at Christmas programs, and was placed in the back row for class photos. For those years, I knew what it felt like to be tall.

But it is all a distant memory now. I didn’t grow in middle school but my classmates did. They sprouted past me as I was relegated to a person of average height (if not a tad short). When I entered high school and still didn’t grow, I knew I was destined to be 5′9 forever.

I always say that if I had a few more inches…and some speed…and some natural talent…I might have been a decent athlete . Oh well, I did try hard and that actually did get me somewhere in terms of very minor athletic glory. At least the Reser family wasn’t totally cut off from the height gene. My brother stands at the height I hoped to grow to—6′2.

We never received height projections from the doctors on Sloan and Beau. For their sake, I hope they benefit from the decent height of Sid’s dad while also perhaps capturing some of Uncle Glen’s loftiness. However, I wouldn’t bet on it. Don’t Blink.