the missing inches

i was once 5ft 6in tall. i say ... i was, past tense, i seem to have lost one and a half inches somewhere along the line.
where did it go? for pete's sake! is it a slow gradual process or did i just wake up one day considerably shorter than when i went to bed.
hah! old age is like the reverse of youth, instead of growing taller we grow shorter. which let's face it would be fine if i had been six foot tall in my prime. dammit i could still live another thirty years! how small might i end up? perhaps ... better to die young with all your inches and mental faculties still with you!
only kidding, i look forward to being a bitchy old lady, one of those who says whatever they darn well feel like. i shall embarrass my children and my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, naturally enough, will dote on me.
in the mean time i have climbed back on the wheel of exertion, if i am to be short i had best be tough, wiry and fit.