In her book, There Was an Old Woman: Reflections on These Strange, Surprising, Shining Years, Andrea Carlisle describes what it means to her to live a long life. She examines why her experience as an older woman is so different from what she expected it to be and realizes that her expectations came not from older women themselves but primarily from a culture that misled her from an early age right into the present day.
Through children's stories, art, literature, and common stereotypes that pop up in everyday conversations, we are told what an old woman is and needs. In her view, we can only challenge misperceptions through speaking up, telling our own stories, and supporting one another in facing what these years actually are: the hard truths as well as the perspective and often profound complexity that come with growing older.
In this episode, you will discover:
- Why Carlisle is not afraid of the word "old" and is willing to apply it to herself while also recognizing that others may not feel the same way and have their reasons.
- The fact that we're all lumped together because of one shared physical reality is as wrong when it pertains to the old as it is with any other group that shares a single physical characteristic.
- Why a lot of the misunderstanding, not to mention fear, we have about older women is because for centuries, men told their stories, painted their pictures, and constructed fantasies about them that are just as dangerous and damaging as the ones they built around nubile, ever available younger women.
- Who are we really? Just as proved to be the case in every other era of our lives, living in old age is an individual experience. The opportunity we have now, as opposed to other times in history, is to create more honesty about these years by pushing ourselves to own and share our unique reality with others.
About Andrea Carlisle:
Andrea Carlisle is the author of There Was an Old Woman: Reflections on These Strange, Surprising, Shining Years. Her work has been published in literary journals, newspapers, magazines, anthologies, and by independent presses. Go Ask Alice . . . When She's 94, her popular blog about her mother, brought attention to aging and caregiving before they became subjects of national interest. She has received fellowships from the Oregon Institute of Literary Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission. In March 2024, Electric Lit published her most recent essay, 7 Novels about Women Over 60 Who Defy Societal Expectations.
Get in touch with Andrea Carlisle:
Buy Andrea’s book: https://revolutionizeretirement.com/carlisle
Visit Andrea’s website: https://andreacarlisle.com/
Read Andreas’s 7 Novels About Women Article: https://electricliterature.com/7-novels-about-women-over-60-who-defy-societal-expectations/
Read Andrea’s 50-Year Portland Friendship Article: https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2024/03/friendship-aging-portland-oregon
What to do next:
- Click to grab our free guide, 10 Key Issues to Consider as You Explore Your Retirement Transition
- Please leave a review at Apple Podcasts.
- Join our Revolutionize Your Retirement group on Facebook.
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