There. I've said it.
I was asked recently how old I was and instead of saying 58, I blurted out that I would be 60 next year.
My husband takes great delight in adding two years to my age as the new year clicks around, despite having just had a birthday late in the year just finished.
So having been 58 for less than six months, here I am, falling into his trap.
The thing that surprised me though was that I was proud to say it.
What is it about older people that they put their age up? They say their 80 or 90 years of age with pride, and it behoves you to let them know they don't look it, don't look a day over one or two decades earlier and certainly don't act it. And in many cases, you speak the truth.
And while you elevate your age to gain status as a senior, you spend your mid years, muttering about your age and trying to pretend you are younger.
A friend of mine always says he is four years off 70, or whatever he might be. And no matter what, you always do the maths in his favour. Four years off 70 puts him at 66, where the truth is he's 70 plus four.
I could have used his formula when I was asked my age, although saying I am eight years off 50 might be a stretch. I seriously doubt that anyone in their right minds would put me at 42 and I don't necessarily trust my friend's mathematics ability to give me a true age. But once your age is from 61-65, it's probably worth a shot.
Age is a funny thing. People talk about it as being a number, a state of mind. And yes, it is all that. But it's a number we are afflicted with from birth and a state of mind that goes along with the number. I know people I can honestly say they don't look their age to, because they look way younger. But I also know people who I can say the same to, safe in the honesty of the statement, because I would have added 10 or 20 years.
Life is a cruel mistress and as I approach my 60th a long time into the future, I hope she will be merciful.