You’re only as old as you feel, right?


{image by me, quote by Nash}

I think every family has a month where all the birthdays of most people they know seem to happen at once. That month is this month for our family. Yesterday was my mother-in-law’s birthday, and then the rest of the week is filled with birthdays for my Hubby, Ma, Dad, Aunt and 4 cousins, and my second cousin. Crazy.

Oh, and so much cake.

I was talking to my girlfriend the other day, who is a few year’s older than me, and I asked, “How old are you now? 32?”

“No,” she gasped and revealed her age to be a few years old than that.

“Oh, that’s right,” I giggled, “I’m 32!”

It’s easy to forget how old we all are now that we’ve crossed the threshold of 30. So easy that a few days later I realised that I’m only 31. I added a year to my age and it took me half a week to notice. Sigh.

The truth is, I’m stuck on 23. When people ask me how old I am, I almost always go to blurt out 23 {with some cocky, youthful enthusiasm}. It’s how old I feel. Do you get stuck on an age like that?

How old are you? {If you dare to share}. And how old do you actually feel?

82 thoughts on “You’re only as old as you feel, right?”

  3. I turned 39 last week. Not sure how I feel about officially being in the last year of my 30's! I think I'll go into hiding this time next year & just forget all about being 40….

  4. I'll be 36 soon, but mostly I feel about 12… playing grown ups. Scary, huh? I often wonder when I'll actually feel my age.

  5. I'm 22
    I was 22 in 2000….and I spent my summer traveling/studying in Europe….

    I may not always be 22…maybe I can do something so amazing at 34 that a decade later I will still think its 2012,

  6. hahah, too funny, I have done that too, rattled out the wrong age. My kids thought I was 21 for many, many years, only recently fessed up when the youngest worked out that I couldn't be 21 with a 14 year old son! I am 44(just!) and yes am wiser, though still feel 21, without any stupid shit (like trying to impress or wondering if I would ever find someone spesh and have children-got all that) and very comfortable with where my life is at, but it's not quite what I envisioned as a 21 year old and the only person I care to impress now is myself!

  7. I'm 26 and I feel like 21. My husband is younger than me and he always say, from the first time we meet that I look like his age. He is now 22. 🙂

  8. I'm 37 but feel like 11 *giggles* sometimes I look at my kids and think “wow, I'm a mum” Even though I've been a mum now for 10 years. Know the feeling?
    I always have to ask my daughter how old I am, thank goodness someone is keeping track…
    And thanks for this i thought I was the only one with this problem.
    Xoxo Andrea

  10. Once I hit 21 I stopped sharing my age. Funny thing is people seldom ask and when they do I just cross step the question, if they are persistent so am I. I think age is a form of labeling none of need….I just enjoy the age I'm feeling like…sometimes that is 12 and other times 100. Now, if I could just talk my son into lying about his age…. 😀

  12. It's so funny, when I was 31 I thought I was 32. So true that when you are over 30 you stop counting

  14. Sadly I am a month from 41 but I mostly feel 15 in my head. How sad is that? It's probably because that is when I met and fell in love with the Workaholic. I am def stuck in the 80's!

  15. This is my absolute favorite question to ask people -“If you had no idea how old you were and you can't look in the mirror, how old are you?” The responses are very revealing. Most people say somewhere in their 20's, but every once in a while someone says they are considerable older. My response is rare. I feel like 1'm about 16 which isn't good when my oldest son is 17!
    My Mom use to say it was always a shock to her system when she glimpsed a view of herself in the mirror and she would think “who is that old woman?”
    I believe that if I ever start to feel as old as I am, then I'm really in trouble!

  18. I'm 19 in my head. I still feel like I'm in my first year out of high school and still deciding what I want to do with my life. I'm actually 28. 🙂

  19. 23 is the always the age I feel stuck at, and I'm 31 too! I do struggle with the realisation of my age sometimes, and I haven't even had kids yet. I just try to be grateful for my youthful appearance and enjoy the confidence that comes with being this age 🙂

  21. I'm 41 this week and I love being in my 40s. I love the wisdom (not saying I am wise) and experience that comes with age. I wouldn't trade being 40 for being in my 20s again for anything in the world!

  22. i seriously could not work out how old i was the other day….i asked my husbo how old i was and he couldnt work it out cos he couldnt work out how old he was…i think mainly cos we are pretty young at heart…and maybe preggo brain, and for him a brain injury from 6 years ago…but honestly i dont often think about…i have never been worried about getting older….My parents are both quite 'young' parents, in the sense they dont eat dinner at 5pm. They have always been fun and young and its just all i know! I worked out I am in fact 32 and hubby is 33.

  23. well im guessing i might have been the friend you were talking too… i loved that you thought i was way younger than i am! although after i realised im pretty sure your confusion comes from me saying i was 30 for more than a year or two… not because i look so much younger than my years ~ lol! im excited about seeing you guys this week xxx

  24. Tee hee, so long as my husband is always 3.5 years older than me, i'm very happy with my age. There are always same-age school friends to keep you grounded & owning your age!!
    My parents still have me stuck at 19??!! Not sure where they think 6 years of Uni, 4 children & the 15 years of marriage i'm celebrating went, i have to remind them i just turned 37 & very much enjoying it. I still feel 19, only i have a 13 year old who assures me I AM NOT!!
    Our big birthday month is now too, more an Aries collection of people including one child, my Dad, Grandad, 7 nephews (no kidding), a brother & a sister = 12. We are all spread over NSW & me in the ACT so just gifts, no cake, no fair!!
    Happy birthday when you do hit 32, people can't wait to tell you that you're on your way to 35, why?? Why hurry?? Love Posie

  25. I totally understand!!! I turned 31 last december but invited everyone to my 32nd birthday…. my husband corrected my and we had a laugh! 🙂 I´m stuck at 24, that´s what I almost always say… *sigh*

  27. I'm 33 and feel about 21 with 33 year old issues, like kiddies, mortgage etc etc :). It's weird though, I would hate to actually feel old!

    You are definitely as old as you feel!
    x

  28. Hello,

    I I am 52 year old and I feel great. I have a daughter of 23 years old. Life is good and I can say that I do not feel that age.

    I enjoy reading your blog.

    Elise

  29. 23 is the age I always go to say when people ask how old I am – then I realise I'm 27, ha. However, I was saying I was 27 for about the last six months of being 26. Meanwhile, I've been adding a year to Mr Posy's age for as long as I've known him, so constantly have to count to work out how old he actually is 😉

  30. Funny that you have all your birthdays at the same time. September is our month for multiple birthdays (6 total).

    I'm 25, and since having my son 5 months ago, I'd say physically I feel 25. Maturity-wise is another story. Somedays I feel about 12. Usually talking to someone younger than myself puts me in check and I realize that maybe I am more mature than I thought. But probably still not over 25 🙂

  36. I'm turning 50 this year & I'm scared as %$#@ to hear that number. But then I just take a deep breath & smile & remember that I really feel like I am still 16!!

  38. Perenially 17. I still think I can dance like a 17 year old too. But just recently I was talking to a fellow mum about my upcoming 40th and what I was planning to do for it. Only to be corrected by another mum that advised me that my 40th is still 3 year away. Ooops

  40. I am 33 and the year I was 30 was the best year of my life so I always think I am 30 and then have to work out how old I am in relation to my daughter.

    I find other people stick in my mind at certain ages and when your friends and their hubbies start turning 40 and your nephew whose birth you witnessed and felt like yesterday turns 8, well then you realise you aren't in Kansas anymore lol

  41. I turned fifty this year and was THRILLED to do so! EVERY birthday has been a bonus as I have been I'll for quite some time now so no matter HOW OLD i get I will grasp it with both hands and enjoy every year I get with my beautiful family 🙂 Having said that I spent some of yesterday on a jumping castle with a couple of my Grandkids! LOL

  42. I spent my 36th year telling people I was 37… So got to be 37 for two years ! Must have been something to do with having 3 little ones in tow ! And a lack of sleep. I am now nearly 40 and feel pretty good. While I would love to have the skin and body of my twenties, I would not trade my self awareness and sense of pride in being where I am now for anything … 🙂

  45. I am 35 this year, but I still think I am 30! Maybe because when all my friends were in their thirties and I was in my twenties I collectively thought of all of them as '30'!

  46. I turned 46 at Christmas and it put a whole new light on my life. I am suddenly headlining to 50!!! OMG!!! Until my 46th birthday I was very secure with my age. Happy where I was in my life and happy with all the things that I have done, including a divorce – but I come out the other end with two beautiful children (hell my eldest turned 20 yesterday – that is a shock I tell ya) and a wonderful husband who I think loves me more than life itself. He is my best friend and rock! 46 hmmmm wish I coulda stopped at 45. Still feel 30 tho 😉

  47. I commented about this on another blog and I stand by it: I don't keep count of my age and because of that I feel younger than I am. Sometimes I have to ask my partner (same age), how old we really are.

  48. I'm nearly 34, but I think I'm around 23 in my head with moments of 19 and sometimes even 7. I find the kids having friends over for playdates one of the most surreal things. truth be told I am probably the most confident and focused that I have ever been right now so i suspect 33 will be my new 23 in a few years. Tatum xx

  49. I'm nearly 43, which is a complete surprise to me and pretty much everyone else when they find out. Guessing I don't act it!

    How old I feel really depends on the day. This week I've revisited some 14yo angst and then felt about 82 – exhausted and over it – within a space of about 30 minutes. Mostly though, I feel pretty much like I would have in my mid-30s if I'd had a young kid then, rather than now… ready for anything, but only after I've had my nanna nap!

  50. I always have to work it out whenever I'm asked because I never really think about it. I have an Aunt (well into her 60s) who always tells people she is “21 and some months” and a friend who celebrates the “anniversary of my 29th Birthday”. I forget how old I am but celebrate each birthday as a huge milestone. I am a cancer survivor and it is worth celebrating (currently I am either 37 or 38, I haven't done the math yet)

  54. I will be 33 this April ( I really had to think for a second then!). Some days I feel 43, some days I feel 15. Most days I think I feel about 27…

    I used to have a real issue with getting older so I used to tell my kids I was 23- EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR.That was until the year I turned 28. My eldest son turned 7 that year & came home one day & said ” Do you know all my friends mum's are really old?” “Really? How old are they?” I asked. “They are all 36's & 37's” he told me.”How old did you tell your friends I was?” “I told them you were 23 cause you arë.” I stared laughing imagining all his friends going home telling their mums how younge I was & all those mums thinking “Shit Reannon was a mum at 16!”. I then tried to explain to both my kids I was actually 28 but they did not believe me until they had spoken to my hubby, their aunt & my BFF! Even then they were dubious. So freking funny & a lesson learned- dont lie to your kids, they'll catch you out eventually 😀

  55. My motto: Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. I'm 31 (until next month), but will forever be 27…

  56. I have been 28 for a couple of years now. Don't know why i stuck with the 28, but it sounds so nice 😉 Actually i'm 33, turning 34 in November. But honestly i don't care about the number, i feel so much younger!!!

  58. I am 29, with 18 years experience! Which actually totals how long I've been on this earth; 47 years. 😉 I did not pick 29 because that is where a bunch of folks 'stop' their aging process…it's because 29 was a huge year of change for me. Finally realizing who I have always been inside and taking charge of my life. So I will forever be 29 “with experience”.

  67. After turning 21, I have been completely unable to remember exactly how old I am. There was an interesting period of time there from roughly 21 – 25 that I would automatically respond to “How old are you?” with “18.” Which was not so much funny, as annoying, esp. when in the process of trying to order a drink. Now, I just pause for a moment to do a little mental math: people must think I am trying to make something up…

  68. March happens to be my birthday month as well. I will be turning 29 in two weeks. I really struggle with that, it seems that although I am turning 29, I am still adjusting to being 27!! My perfect age is 25. I got married at 25, the world was full of opportunities and dreams… For me, there is a huge disconnect between how old I feel and how old my birth certificate says I am. And every year it gets worse. I use to love my birthday growing up, now I dread it!!! I wonder if I'll ever actually forget how old I am one day… But to answer your question, If I could stop time, I would stop it at 25. Great post by the way!

  71. i'm turning 37 on thursday and every year i seem to forget my age and make myself a year younger.now i just go with the flow and everytime someone aks if i'm 30 or younger i agree;)

  72. Im 43, about to turn 44…..hmmm not sure i like writing that down and it made me think:) I only feel about, i dont know, 25 or 30. It ALWAYS shocks me when i realise my kids are nearly 19 and 16.5yrs old. Then i work out how long ive been married , now that only feels like 5 or 10 years…….its 24 this year:)

  73. 51.. It's just a number – Hardly ever think of it as I'm too busy living. Life is a blast with new blessings and mountains to climb everyday. Hoping to be around for a long time. My mom says she's 29 which is a family joke as my son is now 28… My grandma will be 98 in May (our family birthday month)and she says that the only part of her that's old are her knees.

  74. I can never ever remember my age. It takes me ages when filling out paperwork, especially if i have to write down everyone birth dates…its that bad that I have to think about how old my older son is, and work out when I had him and then work out my age. I still think I am 21 but I am really a lot older 🙂
    And nope I am not saying my age – only because it reminds me how quick the years are flying by!

  75. I'm 20 next month. But I feel as though I'm still 17, and that is the age that I feel that I am stuck at right now, hopefully not forever though!

  78. Im 29, and quickly approaching the big 3-0 in just over a month. Definitely feeling the whole stuck at 23 thing, and currently in the panic mode that I think most people get in when they realise that they are nearly 30 and have not achieved half the things they always thought they would as a starry eyed youngster.
    Oh well, you have to roll with it, and at least I'm getting lots of things done in my mad rush to become a huge success before the age of 30 😉

  79. 32 but regularly get asked if I want a child's ticket or have older people shocked that I have a 3 and 2 year old since they usually think I am about 16 or 17 (although I dont get it – can't they see the wrinkles?!) I always forget my age since passing 30 but my husband is 5 years younger so I just add 5 to his age and remember it that way! Strange, forgetting our age!

  81. I'm 45 and that always comes as such a surprise… to me mostly. I don't really have a year that I'm stuck on, but I feel more like the age of my kids -all 4 of them are in their 20's. Here's to living the age that you feel!

  82. I'm 26 but actually feel like I'm 62! I've had such a hard time the last 4 years but I feel I just need to act my age and have fun 🙂 so I'm going to make some serious changes

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