How Old Would You Be, if You Didn’t Know How Old You Are?

Tweet

I happened to be at a friend’s party on the day I turned thirty. It wasn’t a birthday party, just a coincidence. One of my friends asked me how it felt to turn thirty. My answer? “Real familiar.” You see I had lots of adult responsibilities growing up. I felt like an adult from about the age of eleven or so. I was thirty long before the calendar caught up with what I felt inside. The funny thing is, I still do. I have not aged in my head at all. Perhaps it was teaching teenagers all those years that kept me from getting older. Every year I had students who ranged in age from thirteen to eighteen years old. This age range never changed. Unless I stared at myself in the mirror, which I rarely did, there was no visual evidence that time marched on. I have mirrors in my house, and use them from time to time, but I don’t often inspect my face. If I did, I would see wrinkles and loose skin around my chin line. I usually wear long sleeves. When my arms are bare, I notice the skin is not as thick or supple as it was in the past. My knees and eyes know how old I am. They never lie. I try not to listen to them. I have altered some of my behaviors to account for the passage of time (I no longer lift heavy objects, doctors’ orders), but mostly I continue to do what I have always done, since I turned thirty. How about you? If you did not know how old you are, how old would you feel?