Published on 12, July, 2020
Middle aged
Is highly adept at masking. Which he/she/non binary etc has done for many years
IQ- at least 140, degree or PhD level academic qualification,
Sees being an autistic person as far more a gift than a deficit
Progresses quickly from non diagnosed to expert with lived experience
Martin said:I would say the cut off between middle age and old is 60.
Conversation this morning with my NT husband:
Me: apparently I'm old, even though I don't feel or (in my opinion) look old.
Someone on the forum told me.
I suppose I can't be middle aged though as that would mean I'd live to 120.
Mind you, middle age is incorrect anyway, as it's not really the 'middle' of the average lifespan.
H: nobody takes the phrase 'middle age' literally.
Me: I do. I take it literally.
H: no, I said 'most people don't take the phrase 'middle age' literally.
Me: no, you didn't. You said 'nobody' not 'most people'.
H: (Deep sigh). I'm going back to reading my paper ...
I take it literally too.
In the Jewish tradition, 120 is seen as the ideal lifespan. People say, "May you live to 120" and use "When I get to 120" as a euphemism for "When I die."
Interesting.
When he said to me about not taking things literally, I thought 'how odd, why would you NOT take things literally'!
In my book, what are words for if not to say what you mean?
Yes, me too.
I really do think that if someone says 'I'll be doing whatever in half an hour' then 30 minutes later they should be doing it ...
I do understand metaphorical language, but since childhood I've had friction with my family from taking vague generalisations and comments like "I'll be with you in a minute" too literally. I think I can cope with metaphor a lot easier in something that's clearly signposted, like a poem, than when it sneaks into general conversation.