I’ve chosen trailblazers in literature, music, painting, political activism and medicine. Many communities lost their own notable...
Making Peace with Our Aging Bodies
Currently I’m vacationing in Key West, where I’m surrounded by young women, parading their toned stomachs in midriff tops. In response, I’m practicing positive self-talk to avoid falling prey to the cultural message that rejects the older woman’s body, which is no longer taut. Curious to learn how other older women feel about their [...]
Pat Taub
Adding Joy to Your Life
Human tensions are running high these days. We’re facing global warming, an escalating war in Ukraine, racial tensions, and economic hardships. While we can’t control how life challenges us, we can control how we respond. If we pause and put the world’s problems on the back burner, we can make room for joy. But how, you must be wondering? [...]
Pat Taub
When Your Adult Child Rejects You
“Out of the blue I received an email from my daughter saying she never wants to see me again.” “My son is very distant. When I reach out, he is verbally abusive, lobbing hurtful remarks that penetrate my very being.” “My daughter and I had a loving connection until she married. Now she makes excuses whenever I ask to visit her [...]
Pat Taub
Rest is Resistance
Tricia Hersey, author of Rest is Resistance, makes the bold claim, “Rest saved my life.” Hersey’s book was a Christmas present from my younger brother. We come from a family of workaholics, where our father labored in his office for long hours, while our mother exhausted herself with her endless household chores. We were taught that [...]
Pat Taub
I Cane, I Saw, I Conquered
GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN I’ve never been a sprinter. And in the past decade, some friends have commented on my odd forward motion. “You walk funny. Are you OK?” You could say I limp, or perhaps hobble. A woman I was dating told me that she was “concerned” about “my mobility issues,” to which [...]
Pat Taub
Trailblazing Women We Lost in 2022
January Maria Ewing, 71 Ewing, an opera singer in the ‘70’s and 80’s, helped to transform the role of opera singers by incorporating acting skills into her roles rather than simply stand and sing. Her daughter, actress and film maker, Rebecca Hall, referencing her mother’s racial ambiguity, made the critically acclaimed film, “Passing,” [...]
Pat Taub
Where Have All the Peace Workers Gone?
One of the biggest news stories of 2022 was the Ukraine-Russian war. On a daily basis, the American public was flooded with heart-breaking stories of how Ukraine’s citizens were suffering. Americans fell in line. Blue and yellow flags streamed from front porches, shops, restaurants, churches, and synagogues. Every single Congressperson [...]
Pat Taub
Loving Connections at the Holidays
The most loving Christmases in my adult life occurred in unusual circumstances. There was the Christmas I spent in Key West with my two college-aged sons. That year I longed for a holiday where my sons weren’t stressed from being shuttled between my home and their father’s. Knowing my mother’s condo sat empty during the holidays, I [...]
Pat Taub
Fear Of Not Conforming
GUEST POST by LISA SAVAGE As a blogger I enjoy hearing from readers even when they disagree with me. It’s an indication of reader engagement if someone takes the time to offer a critique. So, I was glad to hear from an old friend in response to a recent blog post of mine. “Tale of Two Broken Accords: Oslo And Minsk,” written during [...]
Pat Taub
Everyday Rituals
GUEST POST by JACOB WATSON While the events of our everyday lives are often repetitious, to see them as rituals brings the energy of the sacred to daily life. Years ago, walking in an urban park I sat on a bench to rest. I watched a fly buzz around my head and then disappear into the bushes. Suddenly, sitting down to rest was completely unique. [...]
Pat Taub