If you live alone, if your family is scattered far and wide, if you recently lost a partner or spouse, if you can’t afford the plane...
Family
Lessons On How to Die
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I try not to think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered [...]
Pat Taub
Survival Tips for 2019
When someone wishes me “Happy New Year” I’m tempted to respond, “What’s to be happy about given all the bad news in the country?” We’re faced with a government shutdown, record numbers of migrant families held in cages, a mustached war hawk Presidential advisor and massive social and income inequality. Once I settle down I realize [...]
Pat Taub
Surviving Family Holidays
As the holidays wind down, many of us have either returned home from visiting family, said our goodbyes to relatives we hosted, or are still in the midst of a family visit. Perhaps you’ve had to restrain yourself from challenging a hypochondriac aunt, a brother-in-law who slugs the eggnog and then become obnoxious or the boorish cousin who [...]
Pat Taub
Beating Back the Holiday Blues
If you live alone; if your family is scattered far and wide; if you recently lost a partner or spouse; if you can’t afford the plane fare to visit family or to enjoy a holiday escape, you may be feeling miserable and lonely, making you a prime candidate for the holiday blues. No one wants to feel left out, but wait a minute, let’s pause [...]
Pat Taub
Turning into Mrs. Scrooge
This past weekend a friend and I went to the mall to get a head start on our Christmas shopping. The busy crowds and stores crammed with cheesy, over-priced merchandise had us bolting for the nearest exit. By the time we got to our car I was in full Mrs. Scrooge mode. I wish our over-commercialized Christmas could be erased along with the [...]
Pat Taub
Witnessing Death
GUEST POST BY MARGIE MARTIN CAMPBELL I first encountered death when I was three. I watched my beloved Grandpa (Dad’s father) restlessly walking the floor, then sitting on the couch only to return to his pacing. I had noticed he hadn’t eaten, so I suggested to Mom that she fix him something. I wondered why she had such a strange look on [...]
Pat Taub
What Will You Do With the Rest of Your Life?
This question has been staring me in the face as my seventies flash by. When I was young it felt like I had all the time in the world to plot my future. Now my future has shrunk. I go to more funerals than weddings. I catch my children whispering behind my back, comparing notes on how I’ve slowed down. Fundamentally I have two choices: [...]
Pat Taub
Breaking Free from Expectations
Guest Post by Emily Capelle I always heard that as you get older you lose your filter and start saying whatever comes to mind. Or behave in ways you wouldn’t have in the past. Well now that I’m 58, I have noticed it more and more. Growing up in an “in-between” time like the sixties and seventies, I suspect many young girls, like [...]
Pat Taub
In Despair Over What the U.S. Has Become
Since taking office Trump has managed to sign one mean-spirited order after another, but ripping infants and children from their mothers and placing them in cages with little more than Mylar blankets tipped the balance for me, heightening my despair over the direction of our country. I can’t let go of the now iconic image of the toddler [...]
Pat Taub
Crafting Healing Stories to Shed Anger
One of the most valuable lessons aging has bestowed on me is the importance of shedding anger. The less anger I hold the more inner peace I possess. I’ve learned to release a lot of my anger by imagining myself inhabiting the lives of those who have hurt me, resulting in a new story where I experience compassion towards the other. This [...]
Pat Taub