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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Running Toward Seventy
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL I ran track and cross country in high school. With Nikes bought from the back of a salesman’s car laced onto my feet, I dashed and panted across the finish line. After a long run, group showers were a delight – the rush of warm water down my legs, the gossip and giggles of my teammates, the pleasant lethargy [...]
Pat Taub
The Path to Becoming a Happy Older Woman
Given all the ageism and sexism smacking older women in the face aging can be a dismal state for many women. Mary Pipher to the rescue! In her book, Women Rowing North, Pipher makes the case for a happy old age: “Happiness depends on how we deal with what we are given.” Piper interviews older women from all walks of life who have triumphed [...]
Pat Taub
Abortion Rights, Buffalo Shootings, A Treasured Novel & More!
Abortion Rights Thanks to a leaked report, it’s now almost certain that the Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade this June. Abortion advocates have been demonstrating across the country, but is this enough? In a recent interview with Chris Hedges, V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, the playwright, author, and political activist, called [...]
Pat Taub
Women Who Restore My Faith in Humanity
Last Friday I attended a memorial service for 96-year-old Joanne Booth, who never failed to brighten my day when we met up. Joanne’s infectious, slightly mischievous smile, was contagious, as was her love of life. As I listened to her four daughters deliver their warm, loving accounts of their mother’s full life, my mind wandered to [...]
Pat Taub
Ageism is Real!
Ageism, defined as discrimination against the older adult, is very real in the lives of many, if not most, American women. The older woman loses her currency for no other reason than she looks her age. At work, her suggestions are frequently rejected; socially she is shunned because she no longer looks young; her adult children consider her [...]
Pat Taub
Honoring Our Spiritual Mothers on Mother’s Day
I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day so that we honor not just our biological mothers but also our spiritual mothers. These are the teachers, neighbors, aunts, family friends and others whose influence made an indelible impression on us. Frequently these women didn’t have their own children, but lovingly nurtured and guided the children [...]
Pat Taub