Pat, Age 72
Well, I don’t believe that “all things happen for a reason” or that what happens to you is part of “God’s plan”…sorry! I have found now that I am 72, that I have had to make choices (not always good ones), plan what I want to happen, then go for it and see what occurs. Some of my planning (remember the books “What Color is Your Parachute” and “Who Moved My Cheese”) worked out with perseverence. I also watched other women whom I wanted to emulate and was inspired. None of us got where we are by ourselves.
My mother had a college degree but my father did not want her to work…she did not really want to work, either, but she never used her brains “in the world.” Her self-confidence was lacking, possibly because of the expectations others put on what she should or should not be doing or interested in. I also saw when she was widowed at 42 that she had no idea how to handle the family finances. I vowed that would NOT be me, so I took a course in the stock market and learned as much as I could before I bought insurance or hired a broker.
I remember arguing with a young male insurance salesman whom we invited to our house. My husband and I wanted to get term insurance and the salesman argued with me as he wanted us to buy the more lucrative for him “whole life”. I almost came to blows!
I learned a lot going back to college when I was 37 and being helped by the Women’s Center there and women’s right speakers/authors such as Robin Morgan. Young women should not be afraid to ask their sisters for advice and help.