Many of us are feeling like we’ve been plunged into a spiral of dark news. Daily we are deluged with stories of large-scale migrant...
Pat Taub is a family therapist, writer and activist and life-long feminist. She hopes that WOW will start a conversation among other older women who are fed up with the ageism and sexism in our culture and are looking for cohorts to affirm their value as an older woman.
Coping with COVID Anxiety
Truth-telling time: I don’t always follow (some days barely at all) the COVID coping suggestions I’ve offered in recent WOW blogs. When this happens it’s because pandemic anxiety gets the upper hand, casting me into an irrational mind set. Here’s a sampling from this past weekend when I fell off the wagon, or when my anxiety had [...]
Pat Taub
#Not Dying4Wall Street, A Surprise, A Good Read & More!
#NotDying4WallStreet This is a new popular hash tag, which sprung up after Trump suggested that the country’s social isolation end by Easter, noting that if some people (us older adults) have to die, it may be worth it to get the economy rolling again. Jeffrey St. Clair, writing in Counterpunch, referred to Trump’s sacrificial plan as [...]
Pat Taub
WOW Readers’ Responses to COVID-19
Believing that many women have found creative and soulful ways of managing coronavirus that would benefit all of us, I posted a notice on the WOW Facebook page asking members how they’re coping with COVID-19. I was very moved by their resourcefulness, empathy and strivings to remain positive. I hope you will be similarly inspired. [...]
Pat Taub
Spring Arrives, A COVID-19 Plus, Hibernating Choices
First Day of Spring With COVID-19 grabbing all the headlines, the first day of spring arrived without the usual fanfare. But if we take time to welcome spring with fresh flowers from the market or thanking the sun for its presence, our virus obsession becomes a little less crazy-making. Here’s a photo of boastful tulips gracing a table [...]
Pat Taub
When It Feels Like the World is Coming to An End . . .
Statements made by those for whom the coronavirus poses survival issues: “I can’t afford health insurance. How will I manage if I get the coronavirus?” “The restaurant where I work has closed. How will I pay my rent if I’m out of work for weeks or months?” Responses from those whose lifestyle choices have been affected: “I’m [...]
Pat Taub
Dealing with Uncertainty
GUEST POST by GWEN McCAULEY Here I am thinking of ‘retiring’ for a second time after officially retiring 25 years ago. That first time I retired I received a generous buy-out package from a major telecommunications company after 20 years of hard work and much success. I knew the world was changing. I knew that the aspects of corporate [...]
Pat Taub
Primaries Trauma, Street Art, A Good Read & International Women’s Day
Primaries Trauma As a Bernie supporter, I’m in the doldrums after Biden’s Super Tuesday’s sweep. I had such high hopes for a real progressive leader that would address climate change, unfair wages, racial inequalities, the need for universal medical care and more. I realize the primaries aren’t over, but worry that the establishment’s [...]
Pat Taub
Resisting Body Shaming
Whenever I visit Western Europe I can’t help but notice how much kinder it is to the aging woman than the States are. We are bombarded by media images that equate beauty almost exclusively with a young body. By contrast, women in Western Europe, while aware of their aging forms, don’t seem to experience body shaming to the same degree. [...]
Pat Taub
Black Women Writers Who Opened My Eyes
Young Black women writers are making huge inroads in literature, critical thinking and memoirs. In many ways their path was paved by the revolutionary writings of Black feminists who gained a national audience in the ‘70s and ‘80s. This was the period that shaped my feminism. I was young and newly exploring feminism. Initially my readings [...]
Pat Taub
Florida Return, Granddaughter Jane, Elizabeth Warren & More!
Back in Florida About ten days ago I returned to Florida, this time to Lake Worth, a sleepy community near Palm Beach. Lake Worth has an unhurried vibe with a sweeping beach, a funky movie house and lots of outdoor eateries. My oldest son visited for a few days when we visited the nearby Morikami Gardens, six gardens, built around a lake, [...]
Pat Taub