I think I'm 55. And a half.

Okay, I know I've lost an alarming number of my faculties, but am I the only one who has trouble remembering how old I am?

The other day I said to Teacher Husband, "Now that I'm 53..."
"Wait a minute," he said with a frown, "you're 51, about to be 52.
I remember because I'm the same age."
"Uh, yeah, that's what I meant," I said.

But the truth is, I have a lot of trouble remembering how old I am--or am going to be--so I usually add a year or so, just to be on the safe side.

This has been happening for the past decade. At first, I used to joke that I wasn't really sure how old I was, then one day, I actually forgot. It was like that moment when you're baking cookies and can't remember if you put in two cups of flour or three. So, I guess I've just gotten in the habit of adding an extra cup.

When I mention my little quirk to other people, they are usually aghast.

"Well, whatever you do, don't make yourself older!" a friend of mine said, "you could subtract a couple!"

Really? And what purpose would that serve? Do you think people really can't tell how old you are? The first time you open your mouth and drop the name of your favorite TV show, talk about how you just bought new thongs, or start calling marijuana "dope," your goose is cooked.

Besides, it's not like getting the number wrong is going to bring you another year closer to death. We're getting older, and with a little luck we're going to get a lot older before it's all over. This is not a bad thing, people! Scripture talks about old age being a crown. Sometimes I think we credit ourselves with having a lot more power over our existence than we really do.

Do you remember when we were kids how crucial it was to always add that half year?

"Yeah, I'm nine--and a half," my niece informed me confidentially one year, "but I'm going to be ten in December!"

You go girl. Way to work that half year.

I'm thinking about adding an extra half year myself. If I can just remember if it's 54 and a half or 55 and a half.