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Racing through Life

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2008

Most of us in Sun City Center are retired, right? We should be taking it easy, right? At our age we should have learned to be courteous and kind to each other, right? Well, something's not working quite right. I've only been flipped a "splendid digit" twice in my life, and both times were in our town. Once was by a gentleman who didn't like it that I had to screech my brakes to avoid hitting him as he turned his golf cart left in front of me from the right lane. The other time was by, pardon the expression, a little old lady.

This town is filled with lots of folks who were very successful in their pre-retirement lives. I'm sure a goodly number of them were Type-A personalities. As my mother always says, "A leopard never changes its spots." That is, once a Type-A, always a Type-A. Maybe someone needs to bring a class to our town so that these hostile, always-in-a-hurry residents can begin recovery.

I know whereof I speak. I was a Type-A for years. However, I'm not qualified to teach such a course because I'm a recovering Type-A, emphasis on the word "recovering." I still carry on certain parts of my life at breakneck speeds, with resulting problems.

At the age of 45, I came home from work and was greeted by my husband with, "I've found out what's wrong with you, and there's a treatment!" When I said I didn't realize anything was wrong with me, he said, "I saw it on television today. You have a Type-A personality. I want you to go for an evaluation."

What brought my husband to his excited discovery was observing my requirement to be first in line even though it often made no sense, rushing everywhere, eating fast, talking fast, driving fast, and doing more than one thing at a time. However, the crowning moment came one day when I felt it was time to leave for a party. I got in the car, which was garaged in the lowest level of our three-story home, and started honking the horn, causing reverberations all over the house. My husband was not too pleased when he came running down two flights of stairs. "Do you mean that you got my heart racing only to find out you just want to be at the party the minute it starts?" He was furious. "You have a real problem. It's not normal to be on time everywhere you go. It's not normal to rush everywhere. It's not normal to have to be first in line. You need help."

When he told me I was a Type-A, I asked, "What's that?" This was the early 80s, and not too much was publicized about Type-A personalities.

I did go for an evaluation that the Indianapolis Heart Institute was giving. I really didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure why I was at a heart institute. I wasn't sure why I was being evaluated by a psychiatrist. The doctor was friendly, but businesslike. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Just answer them as honestly as you can. We'll be videotaping them, okay?"

The questions went on and on. The interview took about two hours. Then I waited another hour while they scored my test.

"You do need help. You are definitely a Type-A personality," said the suddenly very serious doctor. When I told him I didn't see what was so wrong with my personality and that I get a lot accomplished, the doctor patiently explained, "You are in line for a stroke or heart disease. A person's personality type has more to do with clogged arteries than anything you smoke, eat, or drink."

This hit home with me as my father, a lifelong health addict, had just been told that he needed a five-way bypass operation. Daddy, who was never overweight, ran four miles a day for 50 years, never smoked, and drank very moderately, had severely clogged arteries. He had, as you might guess, a very active, aggressive Type-A personality. I came by mine honestly. Getting scared, I asked, "How bad am I?"

"Well, let me just say you scored higher than the admirals and generals at the War College! You scored higher than anyone we've tested so far."

When I asked if there were help for me, the doctor said, "Yes, that's what we do here at this clinic. We treat people with Type-A personality disorders. If you want to participate, you will come to a two-hour, once-a-week, group therapy session." And thus began my year-long journey to stop racing through life, and start stopping to smell the roses.

Rosie Clifton is the author of "Kissing Lots of Frogs, a Long Journey to Love. Visit her Web site at rosieclifton.com.

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