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
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Gun Control March, “Roseanne,” London-Bound, Spring Signs
Last Weekend’s March for Gun Control I’m still reverberating from last Saturday’s March for Gun Control, still taking in the inspiring and impressive turnout of teens and their riveting speeches. I find myself looking at teenagers with a new respect. They need and deserve our full support. Here’s a photo from Portland’s march [...]
Pat Taub
Learning to Be Old
What if the US had an official agency called “Learning to be Old”? Here’s how I imagine it: older women and men are scheduled for aging interviews where their aging progress is assessed followed by recommendations for a meaningful old age. When I show up for my interview I’m escorted to the women’s section and led [...]
Pat Taub
Basketball, Gun Control March, A Cool Retirement Home & More
March Madness Tournament My basketball team, Syracuse, has advanced to the NCAA’s “Sweet Sixteen,” playing Duke tonight, who’s heavily favored. It may be painful to watch, but then again the Orange surprised most sports writers and me by getting this far. Out of love for his grandmother, my 12 year-old grandson, Max has promised [...]
Pat Taub
“Happiness is a Choice You Make:” A Book Review
In his best-selling book, “Happiness is a Choice You Make,” the author, John Leland makes the intriguing claim, “If you want to be happy, think like an old person.” Curious about Leland’s thesis, I scooped up his book, eager for tips on being happy in my advanced years and wanting to escape the lot of the old people in my family [...]
Pat Taub
Amazing Teens, Agnes Varda, Remembering My Lai & March Madness
Amazing Teens This past Wednesday’s coast-to-coast school walkouts were extraordinary. Some 3,000 schools participated. Student leaders delivered intelligent, inspiring speeches. They made it clear they won’t stop protesting until our gun laws are reformed. They may turn out to be Trump’s most formidable opponent! Let’s all try to [...]
Pat Taub
What’s Missing in Our Reflections on Women’s History Month?
In honor of this year’s Women’s History Month, on March 11, 2018 the New York Times made a move to correct their longstanding emphasis on male accomplishments by publishing a special supplement entitled, “Overlooked.” This section celebrates 12 women of achievement who never made it into the Times obituary pages. I welcome the Times [...]
Pat Taub
International Women’s Day, More Snow, A Great Read & More
International Women’s Day How thrilling to see photos of women from all over the globe taking to the streets on March 8th in celebration of International Women’s Day. Spanish women rocked, staging a “feminist strike” where they refused to go to work; the strike included women in unpaid jobs like at-home mothers. The impact was felt [...]
Pat Taub
The Power of Magic
Typically a film makes me cry because of a redeeming ending like when two lovers are reunited or when social justice has been delivered. I cried for a different reason after watching Guillermo Del Toro’s Oscar winning-film, “The Shape of Water.” I cried because this beautiful, magical film burrowed deep inside me to a place that is seldom [...]
Pat Taub
An Impressive Teen Leader, My Sister-in-Law, Anna Deavere Smith & More
An Impressive Student Leader Bright, concerned teens all over the country are speaking out against gun violence, shaming their elders for their inaction. Yesterday in Augusta, Maine, Pearl Benjamin, a 16 year-old Camden high school student addressed the Maine State House at a gun control rally, Here’s a brief except from her talk: My friends [...]
Pat Taub