If you’re casting about for a way to take the edge off Trump’s wrecking ball, I heartily recommend the uplifting powers of a great...
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.
OLD HAIR, Guest Post by Lisa Savage
This year I took the plunge; just before turning 60, I gave in to old hair. I was inspired by Janet Weil whose essay on going gray was one of WOW’s most popular posts in 2016. My story is of course a bit different. A history of my hair would go something like this. Long braids with plaid bows tied to them lasted through kindergarten in Maine [...]
Pat Taub
Salvaging Hope in Messy Times
It’s getting closer and closer! Trump’s occupancy of 1800 Pennsylvania Avenue is less than a month away! Many of us are worrying ourselves sick over a nation under President Trump. A friend offers this perspective: “We are at an existential moment in our evolution as a species. “We’re in between stories: while one story is old and [...]
Pat Taub
Popular WOW Posts in 2016
For my end of the year post I thought it would be fun to offer highlights from some of the posts that were popular with my readers in 2016. The Joys of Living Alone (August 23rd) From the post: Older women living alone relish the independence to come and go as they like, to cook or not to cook, to read in the middle of the night, to take [...]
Pat Taub
10 Women Who Rocked the Globe in 2016!
Let’s get a perspective on 2016. Let’s not let Donald Trump’s victory cancel out this year’s progressive changes! On a national scale we can celebrate the successes of Standing Rock and Black Lives Matter. While their struggles face ongoing obstacles, their movements are here to stay. In the United States women are mobilizing for a [...]
Pat Taub
Strategies for Taking on Trump World
As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways that I could respond: either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course. —Martin Luther King, Jr. King’s words spoken some 50 years ago describe the crossroads facing [...]
Pat Taub
The Women of Standing Rock
Native American women are the heart and soul of the almost eight-month-old protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Standing Rock movement was birthed on April 1st by a small group of women from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. They set up a tent on the proposed pipeline route to protest its construction on sacred Native American burial [...]
Pat Taub
Surviving Trump World
The other night I had a dream where I was escorted into a sprawling tree house compound. It’s open sides allowed the residents to engage freely with one another. I felt welcomed, but was troubled by the thin, unsubstantial flooring. When I moved about it felt like the foundation could give way at any minute, hurling me down to earth. [...]
Pat Taub
Iceland: The Most Feminist Country in the World!
If you were surprised by my heading it’s because the American press has offered scant coverage of Iceland’s remarkable feminist achievements. This is a country with a long history of championing women’s rights. In 1850 Iceland was the first country to grant equality to women. Icelandic women won the right to vote in [...]
Pat Taub
The Life Changing Power of Female Friendships
Science is beginning to recognize what most older women inherently know: there is a strong correlation between longevity and close friendships. In other words, loneliness can hasten the grim reaper’s arrival. Maybe this is why so many widowed men turn into cranky old fogies unless they remarry quickly. As a young girl I observed my mother’s [...]
Pat Taub
Activism As A Spiritual Pursuit: Flashback Friday
This post was originally printed in “Popular Resistance,” November 5. 2013. I’ve reposted it in response to the demonstrations at Standing Rock, which have a strong spiritual basis. I dedicate this post to the brave Native Americans at Standing Rock, the “water protectors.” I’ve been an activist for [...]
Pat Taub