While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in...
Feminism
When Standing Up and Speaking Out Gives You Hope
GUEST POST by MARY DUNN When one retires, the world around us often shifts in unexpected ways which can cause confusion and doubt. That was true for me. When I retired from teaching, I struggled with what direction my life would take and what I would do with my time. I began to notice friends going about their lives as they always did. Many, [...]
Pat Taub
Awaken Your Inner Crone: Claim Your Power!
Thousands of years ago during “The Age of the Goddess” older women, known as Crones were sought out and worshipped for the wisdom they imparted. Becoming a Crone was the crowning achievement of a woman’s life—a far cry from 2019 where our ageist and sexist culture dismisses the older women. Barbara Walker, author of The Crone describes [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t Let Your Thinking Box You In!
Aging can be so challenging for the older woman that it’s a wonder any of us enjoy a happy old age, but it’s within reach provided we adjust our mind set. We all can benefit from strategies to overcome the cultural negatives that box us in. It’s only natural to indulge in thinking about good times in the past. But romancing the past [...]
Pat Taub
Badass Older Women Tackling Ageism
I’m seeing a new boldness among older women who are talking back when ageist behavior is directed at them. These women are standing up for themselves and for all of us when they challenge a culture that demeans the older woman. Allow me to introduce some of these badass women: Rachel, age 69, is a frequent traveler who at just 5’ struggles [...]
Pat Taub
Struggling with Feeling Powerless
A dear friend bolted through my front door on Sunday morning, distraught, blurting out, “I have this awful knot in my stomach. Two mass shootings in 24 hours with 29 dead! If I hear one more official respond to the tune of ‘you’re in our thoughts and prayers,’ I think I’ll lose it.” I tried to console her but I was as shell-shocked [...]
Pat Taub
Coming into My Own at 60
GUEST POST by TONI KIEF The day I turned sixty I collided with a shocking revelation. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up! I was single again, living alone and on my way to meet my women friends for vodka and cake. The thought wouldn’t stop; it kept repeating. I drove to the party, and took inventory. At eleven I wanted [...]
Pat Taub
Embracing Your Aging Body Can Be A Radical Act
Can you imagine a scenario where you, a vital older woman, actually liked your body instead of making it a battleground where you fret over your weight, wrinkles, and saggy boobs? What if food wasn’t the enemy and sleepless nights had their own advantages? What if you had practices for honoring your body? Body acceptance for the older [...]
Pat Taub
Let Me Off the Anti-Aging Merry-Go-Round!
I get it. I’m not supposed to grow old because I live in a society that worships youth. My wrinkles, gray hair, sagging breasts, and flabby upper arms render me unacceptable. The anti-aging industry to the rescue. Up-to-the-minute plastic surgery procedures, facial fillers, beauty creams and medical supplements offer remedies that play [...]
Pat Taub
Dusting Off Your Dreams
I have a friend who’s been telling me for years that she’s going to take Italian lessons. Another friend has a long-standing dream to visit Japan. For just as long every time I pass an art supply store I revisit my dream of taking up watercolors. We’re all members of the late-in-life dream club whose engine is stalled. But it doesn’t [...]
Pat Taub
Lessons On How to Die
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I try not to think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered [...]
Pat Taub