I'm 53, and my partner is 29. My recent health crisis brought our age gap to the forefront.

The author (left) is older than his partner (right).

Courtesy of Bil Browning I'm 53, and I live in Mexico City with my partner, who is 29.

I recently tripped and found that I have arthritis in the knee, so my partner had to care for me.

When I asked if he thought about how our age gap might affect him, he said he'd take care of me.

I'm 53, and my partner is 29.

When I moved to Mexico City and we started dating, I posted a photo of us to Instagram, and my American friends lost their minds.

The daddy references started immediately.

When one person asked if I was a sugar daddy , I pointed out that Uriel makes more money than I do.

I'm Splenda at best.

I was self-conscious at first, but the insecurity faded when it became obvious the age gap wasn't a big deal in Mexico.

Eventually, we were just a couple who shared common interests and a crusty little white dog, Maggie.

Until recently, that is.

I tripped and hurt my knee Maggie lived on the streets until she moved in with us.

She still has the annoying habit of gulping down anything that remotely looks like food she finds on the sidewalk, and sometimes it doesn't agree with her.