VI-VI WON DISTRICT ORATORY CONTEST

[unomesowell]

Baby Girl had to write a speech no shorter than 4 min and no longer than 5 min (they took off points for every second in the wrong direction!) and it had to be about a set topic, How I use Optimism to Overcome Obstacles.  Now we knew she could talk about losing her Grandfather or how she skipped two math levels when she moved here but we also knew every other contestant was going to be rolling out their sob stories and it would be the contestant who needed the most tissues to get through their speech who won.  (We were not far off.  We heard everything from dead gineau pigs to lost grandfathers and everything in between.  We also heard every dictionaries definiton of what optimism is, the water glass trick and the lemonade stands.  One boy bashed all three and he was our biggest competitor with a line like "If life brought me a glass of water I wouldn't say "hmm is this half full or half empty?" I would say "Hey, I ordered a Dr. Pepper! I want to see the manager!") But in the end she focused all of her attention on one judge who seemed to have a quick smile and made her absolutely ROLL she was laughing so hard.  Whose more optimistic, the tissue honking sad sack or the side clutching short stack?  Short Stack FTW!


How My Optimism Helps Me Overcome Obstacles

Aka It’s a Small World After All

I have always been looked down on. Teachers do it, my parents do it, friends, and it’s even getting to be that my sister and brother are starting to have to look down on me. This is because I am shorter than almost everyone I know. At a whopping 4’-11” and a quarter I am someone who has to look up, whether I want to or not, at almost everyone (pause) because it would be really awkward if I were looking straight into their belly button! (pause for LOL)

The top 10 reasons why being short will always be awesome and not a lifelong obstacle!

1. You get to have wonderful friends who think it is hilarious to block all traffic so that they can announce that you need to get to class or your locker. (pause) Like your own personal Crossing Guards! (pause for LOL)
2. Being short, it is easier for me to dodge the random flying objects commonly seen in the middle school hallways. (Hand gestures!) You know arms… pencils… wads of paper… Even sometimes a binder or two. (whoosh motion) (pause for lol)

But I won’t always be in school. The real world has its own hard to reach places.

1. In the grocery store I often have to hop or ask strangers for help reaching things on the top shelf.  Sometimes they’ll see me reaching for something and without saying a word will reach up and just hand it to me. This allows me to quote movies and books. For instance, from the movie A Street Car Named Desire, (best impression!)  “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. (pause for LOL)
2. I get along very well with random children in malls and stores. I love to make faces at them when their parent’s backs are turned. And, since I am not as tall as an adult, they have no problem assuming I am friend and laughing with me. (pause) And the parents are just left wondering… (make “who me?” face) (pause for LOL)
3. I get to make amazing ninja jumps. (pause for LOL) In my house I have to climb on the counter tops to reach something in the higher cabinets. I of course only jump after I have carefully set down whatever I was looking for. (pause) I have never had any trouble reaching the bottom cabinets though. (pause for LOL)
4. I can stealthily sneak under other people’s umbrellas when it is raining without them noticing. I just scooch in from behind them and stand there, no longer getting wet. They usually don’t notice ... (pause for LOL)
5. I will always able to dress to in style as well. Everybody knows that Hello Kitty and Cookie Monster t-shirts will never go out of style. Since I will never get any taller I will be able to wear these for a while. (pause for LOL)
6. I am small and so are my feet! (pause for LOL) So I get to buy children’s shoes for the rest of my life. I will always get away with Dora the Explorer flip flops at the pool.
7. I can be a really loud and excitable person. I often get away with squealing and jumping when I am super excited and that is because I am short so people let me. (pause) Like a puppy. (pause) Or a 6th grader! (pause for 6th grade indignation and LOL)  
8. I don’t often have problems with hitting my head on low hanging objects. When I first moved into my house there was this chandelier that everyone had to be wary of except me.  I never noticed because I always just passed right under it. (pause) Although rearview mirrors were a problem for a little while. (pause) Also, doorknobs. (pause for LOL) My mom said that my sister, two years younger than I am, was able to reach the doorknob before I was. Now I can proudly stand before you and announce that reaching doorknobs is no longer a problem! (pause for spontaneous cheering and LOL!)

There are so many advantages to being my height that I can’t even mention them all in a four minute speech. (pause) Like how it’s a short fall from where I am now to the ground. (pause for LOL) Or how I can wear really tall shoes all the time and people just think it’s my normal height. (pause for LOL) I think that the height I am is perfect for me. I love it. It’s not an obstacle. I am 4’ 11” and ¼ and proud of it!