Author: Laurie Mueller
I’ve always been fascinated by the way people behave—how they are the same as or different from the way I act and relate to the world.
I’ve started to review my life and reflect on how I act now, as opposed to how I acted when I was younger.
Of course, being sometimes labelled as elderly (according to my sources, an elder is defined as 65 years or older) is a serious blow to the way I see myself.
I used to think that being elderly isn’t a personality type or style—it’s simply an ability to move my body and mind in the way I expect. But perhaps “elderly” is a personality type, with subtypes.
They say extraverts have a lot of energy, while introverts live more in their own little world. Well, I have been accused of both.
Now I find that if I don’t use my energy and spend my time with my computer on my lap, typing away at miscellaneous projects, my body stiffens up, and I act like the elderly woman I’m trying to avoid.
Sometimes I watch a friend rise from her chair, and I can feel her pain. She adjusts herself in stages until she is standing upright. I remind myself: remember when we could stand effortlessly with one quick movement?
I’m not complaining about being this age. I love it. But there are some things I simply have to come to terms with.
Being this age means I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to do things because they are best for the family, the organisation, or the firm. Now I can do them because they are best for me.
Returning to the subject of personality types, I’d like to officially announce that the “elderly” personality type is a sought-after one.
For some of us, this personality type may take longer to process information or retrieve important names and dates—but eventually, they come! And if they don’t, do we really care?
Will our “elderly friends” remember our names, the great time we had the other night at the casino (okay, I don’t do casinos, but I could), or whether they remembered to pick us up for our afternoon card game?
This personality type wakes early, but there is no obligation to let the world know we are awake until we want to.
We can eat when we want (though not always what we want), exercise when we choose, and attend whatever events appeal to us. We can turn off our hearing aids when the conversation turns to a topic we don’t enjoy. We can make excuses to avoid activities that bore us or require too much energy. We don’t have to worry about the hairs on our chin because our friends’ eyesight isn’t any better than ours.
And there are subtypes within the elderly personality type.
I’ve decided my sub-personality type is IWDIT, which stands for “I will do it tomorrow.”
My husband’s is INIIWNDI, meaning “It’s not important; I will not do it.” But sometimes he has a change of heart, and his sub-personality type shifts to DINII—“Do it now; it’s important.”
Another favourite personality type is INAN: “I need a nap.” Then there is IHTR&P: “I have to rush and pee.”
You are old enough to know your own sub-personality type. Don’t be afraid to let others know what it is. |
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