as read in the New York Times
The Joy of Being a Woman in Her Seventies
A dear friend brought this article to my attention, and I want to make it available to you. The recent feature in the New York Times makes for interesting reading, and provides a springboard for discussion.
The Joy of Being a Woman in Her Seventies begins with these thoughts from author Mary Pipher. Dr. Pipher is a clinical psychologist.
“… most of the women I know describe themselves as being in a vibrant and happy life stage. We are resilient and know how to thrive in the margins. Our happiness comes from self-knowledge, emotional intelligence and empathy for others.”
Five of her observations are highlighted below:
1. Many of us have learned that happiness is a skill and a choice.
2. Gratitude is not a virtue but a survival skill, and our capacity for it grows with our suffering.
3. Our happiness is built by attitude and intention. Attitude is not everything, but it’s almost everything. I visited the jazz great Jane Jarvis when she was old …. I asked if she was happy and she replied, “I have everything I need to be happy right between my ears.”
4. We know that all our desires will not be fulfilled, that the world isn’t organized around pleasing us and that others, especially our children, are not waiting for our opinions and judgments.
5. There is sweetness to 50-year-old friendships and marriages that can’t be described in language.
No, I am not 70, but near enough for the word seventy to be a placeholder in my vocabulary. Perhaps you are decades away from your 70’s or perhaps you, too, see the seven and zero just around the corner. (If you already reside in the 7th decade of life, congratulations!) In any case, this content from an ultra liberal, secular periodical provides insight surprisingly consistent with God’s Word.
Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.. (Job 12:12)
What do you think? Are older women happier?
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
Are you 70 or do you know someone who is 70?
What is your perspective on growing older?
Which observation is most intriguing to you?
Are older women happier? Why or why not?
How would you sift these thoughts from a secular periodical through the eternal Word of God?
