On the outside, however, I recently turned 50, a number that still surprises me when I say it aloud.
“We are always the same age inside.” Of all Gertrude Stein’s quotable remarks, this one resonates with me the most. My interior age has, for longer than I can remember, hovered around 30. On the outside, however, I recently turned 50, a number that still surprises me when I say it aloud. Similarly, when I catch an unexpected glimpse of my face, for a few unreal seconds, I often do not recognize myself—a jarring sensation the French call a coup de vieux.