Pat Taub
Hibernation Update
I’m now in week 5 of my isolation. I thought I had it down, but yesterday I hit a wall when it dawned on me that I could be facing months of isolation. Depression was looming. The Hibernation Crazies had come for me! Suddenly I realized I hadn’t taken a daily walk for two days. In spite of the overcast sky and winds, I put on my sneakers and walked for over an hour. When I came home I felt much better, more connected to the world, even though I walked solo.
A recent New Yorker cartoon by Roz Chast depicting the Hibernation Crazies
Zoom
Like many of you, I’ve been Zooming via structured meetings, a support group and family conversations. Zoom has been a lifesaver. When I Zoom I have to be careful to turn my laptop at any angle where my homemade haircut is not too obvious. My hair had gotten very long, giving me a hound dog appearance, so I sent away for decent barber scissors and followed instructions from a YouTube tutorial on how to cut your own hair. There are gaps in my hair here and there, but I look less like a hound dog.
A photo of my family , June, 2018, London, Queens Park. Today we Zoom.
A Good Read
I asked women on the WOW Facebook page to list a positive that has emerged from their hibernation. Many responded that they were finding more time to read. This is certainly true for me. Presently I’m reading the brilliant memoir and winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction, “The Yellow House” by Sarah Broom, She writes about growing up in New Orleans as the youngest of 12 children in an African-American family led by an amazing mother. 
A Wacky Hulu Series
Laughter is highly curative, which is why I’m always scouring the net for funny videos. This week I landed on “Better Things,” a hilarious series about an outspoken, big-hearted single mother of three daughters. They live in LA, next door to their eccentric grandmother. In a realistic portrayal of single parent life, Pamela Adlon is the working mother who frantically tries to balance work and family while keeping her rebellious daughters in line.
The cast of “Better Things”
