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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Coping with Loneliness
“I do pretty well living alone, but on days when I crave companionship, it becomes depressing.” “I’m too embarrassed to reach out to friends when I’m feeling lonely.” “My family sees me as a strong woman, so they don’t realize I get lonely and would like them to contact me more.” “I wish there were places, other [...]
Pat Taub
It’s Not Complicated
GUEST POST by MARY DUNN How did we come to live in this time where genocide is accepted, defended, and cheered? Many dissuade debating this incredibly important issue claiming it’s “complicated”. No, really, it’s not. Every religion teaches us to love our neighbor, take in the stranger, and certainly thou shall not kill. But here [...]
Pat Taub
Owning Your Voice
My class of “Women and Aging,” got into a lively discussion for maximizing our later years. After the class one member dashed off a group email apologizing for “interrupting and talking too much.” Her email was promptly followed by another class member who echoed the same regret along with her apology. A little later a third [...]
Pat Taub
Competitive Grandparenting
GUEST POST By ANONYMOUS* In a clear sign of the sickness engendered by the long reign of patriarchy in Western culture, grandparenting is now seen as a competitive rather than collaborative endeavor. Despite research confirming the long-held notion that children with at least one grandmother alive are far more likely to thrive than those without [...]
Pat Taub