Early Adulthood
People have difficulties on their path to maturity, and they need the constant presence of lively and energetic young adults. In my early adulthood, I will concentrate on developing my travel abilities and need to complete this adventure stage. The capacity to adapt to change is crucial, as is building a community of people with whom to connect and avoid the loneliness that so frequently comes with becoming older. I will also underscore the importance of building connections that will make me happy in my life. Pipher (2020) says that women’s friendships, in particular, may provide consolation and pleasure and that companions and families can provide safe zones for individuals whose unions have endured into old age. As the author claims, one of the main advantages of old age is the loss of “false identities” held earlier in life and the development of a complete and authentic self (Pipher, 2020). Caring in this book is guaranteed to appeal to women in their fifties and sixties. In my instance, I have no prior experience with middle adulthood and hence have no more information.
Middle Adulthood
Life gets increasingly challenging for women transitioning from mid-thirties to old age. As the community undervalues images of women and brains, loss, including death, is becoming the new norm. In general, this is the period when I must accept my identity. Pipher (2020) observes that she completely embraces her identity when a woman ages. It is critical to figure out how to appreciate your previous position more proactively and enthusiastically with the right mindset. As old age approaches, the author describes how to acquire this condition of pleasure, bravery, and ecstasy in this stage of your life (Piper, 2020). I feel that certain women have used their extensive personal experiences to deal with common old age issues such as disease, caring, and retirement. As a result, individuals can achieve great satisfaction due to these challenges. In general, I have no prior experience with my middle-age, but I am confident that I will be able to handle it successfully.
Challenges in Later Adulthood
Women, I feel, confront several obstacles as they age due to the effects of aging. Misandry, age discrimination, loss, and bodily changes are among them. Pipher (2020) reveals that older women are happier than their younger counterparts. Most women have financial difficulties, particularly in health care, in their old age. They are also much more likely to lose friends, families, relatives, and spouses. By the time they reach 70, most of them have had some health issues and run into a society that does not regard them because they are elderly. The author’s friends told her that they were not elderly when she wrote about the older women. They implied that their perceptions of themselves did not correspond to the societal preconceptions about older women. They were not cranky, sad, or elderly but energized and engrossed in life. The women face several challenges due to their age and physical outlook.
Later Adulthood
My most significant concern in this period of my adulthood will be how to develop robust solutions to the problems I will experience. I will take ownership of my emotions and concentrate on my talents and delights. I will also develop abilities that will enable me to cope with new changes. I shall outgrow the tactics that succeeded me earlier in life to every new phase of life. I will discover myself in a situation where I can be confronted with more obstacles than my present self can handle. I will feel resentful and dissatisfied if I do not grow larger. When my issues get too enormous for me to handle, the best thing I can do is extend my capabilities; this is a meaningful increase. I will grow in depth, become gentler to myself and the rest and become more receptive to joy. Of course, Pipher (2020) points out that there are two categories of women: some who grow and others who do not. Women shall constantly be surrounded by pain, grief, and wrath. They may be happy in the long run if we have the will, the goal, and the correct combination of talents.
How to Promote Healthy Ageing
Society offers me a sexist image of myself as an older woman. Women have to deal with ageism as well as gender-based issues. Their bodies, sexuality, and intellect are undervalued as they become older. There are a lot of wrong preconceptions about older women, but one of my personal favorites is mother-in-law jokes. For women to age healthily, society must value them and respect their role and position in society. Above, they must be given the care they need to improve their lives. People are happiest in their twenties, thirties, and early forties, according to Pipher (2020), and have a respect for life as they become older. Indeed, beyond fifty-five, most women grow progressively joyful, reaching a pinnacle of happiness at the end of life.
Alternative Ways to Support the Aged
In supporting home-based and community care need an appropriate blend of institutional, financing, and delivery as alternative methods for caring for them. The care components for older persons are health and social care. They also include preventative and curative health care that can solve their health issues. Pipher (2020) asserts that older women face health problems and financial issues. These alternative ways for bringing about change in the delivery of care for the elderly and how they must be altered flexibly must match local conditions. Women depend on their spouses for reciprocating care as they grow older. This kind of support, on the other hand, might swiftly dissipate. As a result, women are placed under even more significant strain.
Effects of Culture, Society, and Media on Aging People
I can note how older women are often depicted in contemporary culture in the United States; however, most of the time, it is pretty negative. Mothers-in-law, for instance, are often portrayed as nagging, domineering annoyances. Furthermore, society uses the term “witch” mainly for elderly women. In her entire life, the author was raised with the belief that women must exercise consciousness, as did her age women (Pipher, 2020). The value of feminine sacrifices, which is the practice of placing the people at the center of one’s own, was reinforced upon them heavily. For the most part, elderly women are used to caring for people surrounding them. The media portrays women as caregivers; they have probably spent decades caring for their families, assisting neighbors, giving soups and stews to acquaintances’ families in need, and visiting ailing relatives in hospitals. The problem is that once women reach their sixties and seventies, the obligations of caring, which they have faced their whole lives, may become excessive.
Significance of Reading the Book
Reading Women rowing north, navigating life’s currents, and flourishing as we age by Mary Pipher has personal significance because of the richness of life events it contains. Pipher (2020) motivates me to reflect on my pleasures, follies, and tales and forgive myself. Experiences that had been forgotten came flooding back, thus reminding me of my past. As many resurfaced, it became impossible to keep track of the women’s experiences throughout the book. Taking notes would have been beneficial; this is a custodian of experiences. When the author wrote about women’s experiences, particularly older women, she piqued my interest.
Reference
Pipher, M. B. (2020). Women rowing north, navigating life’s currents, and flourishing as we age. Large Print Press.