Women Rowing North
Here is an unexpected book that came out of nowhere. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so excited. Finally, a book written for women of that certain age. And written by a very capable woman psychologist with a proven track record. And she’s the right age to be writing this….Almost seventy.
I have had a few women ask me if the book is about actual rowing, as in of a boat. No, not that kind of rowing. It’s about moving up the stream and transitioning from middle age into older age. Hey, we all are going to do it. Might as well embrace it and this book can help you do just that.
I found myself flagging pages, underlining sentence after sentence, and sometimes even entire paragraphs. Then, I had a revelation; why not lead a discussion of this book at Copperfish. And the rest is history. That discussion is going to happen this evening. I wanted to keep the number of participants manageable and that is why I did not advertise it on the blog. If you are thinking of attending please call to see if there is still availability.
When I was a young woman married with small children we had no one to talk to. That’s just how it was back then. Women kept everything bottled up inside. Dr. Spock was all we had to tell us about bringing up kids. Masters and Johnson told us about sex. No one gave us a leg up about much of anything. It was challenging. Now, I find women my age and older are anxious to talk about what they are experiencing in their lives. All of it. We have each other.
Mary Pipher does go on about finding bliss. I don’t know that I would go that far. But I encounter women everyday in my travels who are enjoying the best part of their life. Now, their kids are grown and their lives have taken a turn. They are busier than ever with activities they might not have had time for her in years past, they have close friends to share their trials and tribulations with, and many are still working. I find the work most older women are enjoying is passionate work. Could even be work they’ve only just discovered they love. Yes, many women still need to work, too.
We all experience aches and pains. Most of us have learned how to tolerate the normal pain of aging. There are good days and not so good days. And then there are days you want to just pull the covers over your head and escape the real world. That’s okay, too. Give yourself permission to do this now and then.
Mary Pipher brings up issues that are going to be very controversial. Not everyone can relate to everything she says here. And that is why I believe this book is going to be a great one for discussion. I am leading the discussion tonight. I am not doing the speaking. I want to hear everyone’s opinions. Everyone shall get a chance to speak up. It should be quite a lively talk.
We have copies of WOMEN ROWING NORTH by Mary Pipher at Copperfish Books. They are marked 20% off. Come on in and see us. We can’t wait to see you.
Copperfish Books
