Part 1 addresses the struggles and changes women deal with as they enter old age. Chapter 1 explains that old age is a time of change, one of many “lifetimes” or periods in which women have new experiences that seem distant from their current lives. Pipher offers an anecdote about her high school and college years to exemplify different “lifetimes” and notes that a person’s lifetimes connect because they continue the same interests. She contends that change happens to everyone but that old age presents unique difficulties for women. Change, she argues, requires seeking new meaning and purpose, as well as a new perspective and new “navigational skills” for a new life stage.

She provides an anecdote to illustrate older women’s experiences: Ava, at 65, was asked if she wanted to use the senior citizen discount at an art museum, which surprised her because she did not see herself as a senior citizen, a person she views as “unattractive.” She felt a loss of attractiveness and identity because of this encounter. Pipher explains that older women need a “developmental perspective” to help them grow and grapple with new perceptions of themselves. This perspective encompasses empathy, attitude, and intention, as well as growth, change, adaptation, and resilience.