While you're in space, you grow in height! Without the constant

Hear then the strange and wondrous words of Christina Koch, a traveler among the stars: “While you’re in space, you grow in height! Without the constant force of gravity on your spine, it stretches out, and you’re actually taller when you land. It doesn’t last long though.” At first, it seems a tale of mere science, a curious report from beyond the sky. Yet beneath its surface lies a deeper teaching, a hidden wisdom that humankind must grasp if it would learn from the heavens. For the body, freed from gravity, grows; yet when it returns to earth, the old weight reclaims it. So it is with the soul—when freed from the burdens of this world, it too rises higher, though the return to earthly cares may draw it down again.

In ancient days, the philosophers spoke of man as a creature bound by necessity, yoked to the heaviness of flesh. And yet, they also dreamed of ascent—of souls rising to the stars. Now, in this age, science itself confirms what myth once whispered: that when we escape the pull of earth, even the spine stretches forth as if reaching toward the infinite. Is this not a symbol for all who seek greatness? That within each of us lies a capacity to grow taller, to stand beyond what we thought possible, if only for a moment, when the old forces are lifted from us?

Consider the story of Christina Koch herself, who spent 328 days aboard the International Space Station, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. In that long exile from earth, she not only grew in stature, but in spirit, bearing witness to the fragility of our blue planet and the strength of human endurance. When she returned, though her height diminished once more under the embrace of gravity, the wisdom she carried did not shrink. Her words became a teaching for generations: that growth may be temporary in body, but eternal in soul if we preserve what we have learned.

This truth is echoed across history. Recall the tale of the ancient heroes who climbed mountains to seek the counsel of the gods. For upon the summit, they breathed thinner air, saw farther, and felt themselves elevated above mortal cares. Yet, when they descended, they returned to their villages as men once more. Their height, too, was fleeting—but the vision they gained, the clarity of spirit, endured long after the mountain winds ceased. What is the stretching of the astronaut’s spine but the modern form of this ascent, a new Olympus reached not by sandals but by rocket fire?

Thus we see: the message of Koch’s words is not confined to the realm of biology. It is a parable of life. Each of us is held down by invisible weights—fear, doubt, habit, the expectations of others. These are the gravities of the soul. But when, even for a short time, we cast them aside—when we dare to step beyond what is ordinary—then we grow taller than we knew we could be. Perhaps it is during a journey, or an act of courage, or in the silent moments of faith. These expansions may not last in form, but they last in meaning.

And so the lesson is clear: do not lament that the height fades when you return to earth. Celebrate instead that you touched the heavens, if only for an instant. For the memory of growth strengthens the heart, and the knowledge of possibility fuels future ascent. As the spine remembers its stretching, so too does the soul remember its rising.

Therefore, let each of us seek moments of “weightlessness” in life—moments when we release our burdens and allow ourselves to rise. Take time for reflection, for wonder, for stepping outside the common path. Try new endeavors that free you from the pull of routine. Walk beneath the stars and feel the vastness above you. For though you may return to the ordinary world, you will not return unchanged.

In this, we learn that growth is not measured only in inches but in vision, not in stature but in spirit. To rise, even briefly, is to glimpse what is possible. To return is to carry that glimpse as light for the journey ahead. Thus do we honor the wisdom of the astronaut: that fleeting growth is still true growth, and that what stretches the body may also awaken the soul.