I stepped over to the wall. “You gonna check if I’ve grown?”

The nurse chuckled. “You’re…uh… five foot two and… a half.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “So I’ve grown a quarter of an inch?”

She frowned and double checked. Yes, I had grown a quarter of an inch.
When I first started yoga, less than six months ago, my teacher, Sarah, said I’d probably grow. I didn’t really believe her. “So I’m going to become tall and svelte?”
“Well maybe not tall and svelte, but…”
I started yoga six months ago. My Yoga Therapy class met twice a week. Within a couple of months I was seeing results—my shoulders weren’t quite as bad, my balance was showing signs of improvement, and my posture was much better. At the end of the summer, I decided to add a third class. Sarah suggested the Supported Asana class, where the use of props allows the students to hold poses longer.
Christina, the Supported Asana class teacher, corroberated Sarah’s claim. “It’s not that you actually grow. It’s that your posture improves to the point that you measure at the height you really are.”
That did make sense, but I was still skeptical.
When the nurse checked and double checked and came up with the same height, I was incredulous. I tried to convince myself that a quarter of an inch was within the margin of error. But I wasn’t successful. After all, for years, my height has been measured at five feet, two and a quarter inches, no matter who measured it.
Perhaps there hope for me yet. Perhaps I am on my way to becoming tall and svelte.