How old are you* and how old do you feel — older or younger than your actual chronological age? Do you generally act your age? And what does “acting your age” mean to you?

I have just turned 63, I feel both older and younger than my actual age.

Actually, I have no clue what 63 is supposed to feel like. Physically I know I am aging. I have aches and pains. I can get down on my knees but getting back up again is not so easy. I can’t stand on a chair. However, on the inside, I don’t feel a lot different. I just have a lot more life experiences.

Do I act my age? In some ways. I’m nostalgic for the past. I don’t spend a lot of time with young people. I like their music and taste in fashions about as much as my mother liked my generation’s music and fashions. That’s right, not at all. So I guess in that respect I am typical of many of the older generation.

On the other hand, I get a lot of pleasure from things that some other people in my age group don’t seem to care much about. I don’t think Christmas is just for kids. I enjoy the gift-giving and all the traditions associated with it. I still enjoy celebrating my birthday. I like blowing out birthday candles, it just takes more effort. If I go to a funfair I will ride on the carousel. I don’t think I am too old to play with toys.

I don’t think acting your age means that you can’t have fun or that you have to stop doing things because other people think they are a waste of time. If acting your age means not being able to find joy in life I’m not growing up. It always makes me sad when I hear people telling their kids they are too old for toys.

I do think that by the time we get older we should have learned how to act appropriately though. By that, I mean by not throwing a tantrum like a two-year-old if something doesn’t go our way or picking fights with others like a schoolyard bully. It is embarrassing to see an adult behaving like a toddler in public.