Am I really a beginner ?

Ok so I'm 45 and of course I've played the game of chess when I was young and in my 20's, 30's but only against my father and some guys at work.  However, joining chess.com a year ago is where I have actually learned chess and became knowledgeable in the game and introduced to all it's comlexities (openings, tactics , mates etc...).  My rating also reflects a beginner stage in chess.   I guess what I question is the word beginner that I have seen on the forum.  Are we all beginners because we have a rating under 2000 ?  Should we say something like I'm a 1200 level player rather than a beginner ?  I question myself because even when I meet people at tournaments or at my local club, I usual will say that I've been playing for about a year now.  Of course this is not true because I've obviously played the game before.  But it's like chess is not the game I knew when I was younger.  Now its like, not just a board game :)

If you have to ask, then yes.

Our ratings are similar and I'm not a beginner.  I just suck.