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...
Thinking About Death
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 a recent late-night phone call that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (To preserve my brother’s [...]
Pat Taub
Diana Athill10
“I Hate Being Old!”
Currently I’m teaching the course, “Women and Aging” at Portland, Maine’s senior college. The first day, as we went around the room introducing ourselves, one woman defiantly exclaimed, “I hate being old. I hate my lined face. I hate not being able to move as well as I once did. I hate being too old to date because men my age [...]
Pat Taub
Recognize Self-Defeating Thinking
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 once we learn to recognize thinking patterns that box us in. It’s natural to indulge in thinking about good times in the past. Romancing the past can be problematic when it becomes obsessive and obscures the reality [...]
Pat Taub
The Older Woman’s Superpowers
I’m here to announce that you, the older woman, possess superpowers. I realize this may sound a little crazy because you’re used to feeling diminished through the cultural messages which define you in terms of your aging body. But you’re much more than your wrinkles, reduced flexibility, puffy tummy and gray hair. Maturity has granted [...]
Pat Taub
No Bucket List for This Gal!
I think I will tear my hair out if one more person asks, “How’s your bucket list coming along?” The implication is that I’m running out of time to camp in the Sahara, jump out of an airplane, learn Italian or any number of demanding feats. If I were to answer, “The hell with a bucket list,” in all likelihood, I’d be considered [...]
Pat Taub
Help! My Time is Running Out!
As my birthdays pile up, I’m forced to face the fact that I’m running out of time. It feels scary. I’m healthy and financially secure, but no one lives forever. How much time do I have left: 10 years, 15 years? The last 10 years raced by. If the next 10 years are going to be equally accelerated, how can I make the most of them? [...]
Pat Taub
It’s Never Too Late to Follow a Dream
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 members of the late-in-life dream club whose engine is stalled. But it doesn’t [...]
Pat Taub
Diana Athil: A Long Life of Inspiration and Joy
If you need inspiration and reassurance that old age is still a dynamic time and not a passage to be feared, then grab Diana Athill’s two memoirs. The first, Somewhere Towards the End, was written when she was 89. Her memoir, Alive, Alive Oh! was published when Athill was 98, three years before her death at 101 when she was working on [...]
Pat Taub
The Book of Old Ladies – Celebrating Women of A Certain Age in Fiction
GUEST POST by KRISTINE NICHOLSON It’s about time women of a certain age get some respect in this world!!!! The Book of Old Ladies: Celebrating Women of A Certain Age in Fiction is an important catalyst in kick-starting this process. It takes a fresh look at the way women are expected to live as they age. This book stares boldly into [...]
Pat Taub
Aging May be a Laughing Matter After All . . .
Did you know it’s believed that a sense of humor can increase your life span? Thoughtful aging tends to stress diet and exercise, having a sense of purpose and close, nurturing relationships while frequently overlooking the benefits of humor. I’m not referring to humor which is mean-spirited, but humor used to alleviate frustration with [...]
Pat Taub
Yes, To Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks!
“Don’t try to explain a lot to her. She’s too old to get it.” (Two clerks at a Best Buy referring to an older woman in the market for a new TV.) This is typical of the way older adults are stereotyped in our youth-obsessed culture. I won’t stand for it! I’m in my eighth decade, and I’m anything but set in my ways. I continue [...]
Pat Taub