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...
Female Friendships
The Night of the Bras
GUEST POST by BARBARA MUDD It was full darkness outside. The spring air was perfect. I was lying face down on the edge of a dock with eight other middle-aged and senior-aged women doing the same thing. We were hanging over the dock with water below us. At the exact same time, we all put our hands into the cold water and began swirling [...]
Pat Taub
Women’s Friendships As A Lifeline
A friend once said, “If grown women had pajama parties, they wouldn’t need therapists.” She was referring to the close connections among girls that often get lost when women mature, becoming preoccupied with family and careers. Feminist psychology contends that because women are affiliative by nature they frequently find their voice [...]
Pat Taub
Popular WOW Posts in 2019
For my end-of-the-year post I thought it would be fun to share some of 2019’s more popular WOW posts. These essays offer tips for happy solo living, a meaningful retirement, loving your aging body, fighting off political despair and becoming a badass older woman. LET’S GET STARTED: “How to be a Happy Older Woman” http://wowblog.me/how-to-be-a-happy-older-woman [...]
Pat Taub
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
Older Women Energy in Manhattan
I spent Memorial Day Weekend in Manhattan, where older women energy abounded. It felt like the Goddess was guiding me, sensing I needed inspiration for my own aging. I took in art exhibits and a play featuring older women and enjoyed pick-up conversations with older women I met along the way. I saw a spectacular sculpture exhibit at the Met [...]
Pat Taub
Valentines for the Women in My Heart
What better time than Valentine’s Day to pay homage to some of the remarkable women who helped shaped me? My mother, Jane Conrad, provided me with a love for art, escorting me to my first art museum (Washington, DC’s National Gallery of Art) at age 9. I was awed by the marble columns and huge masterpieces in elaborate gold frames. Mother [...]
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