More and more older women are discovering a new voice: one that embraces a newfound freedom. Sharon Blackie, author of Hagitude, ...
Banishing the “I’m Not Being Productive” Guilt
“I feel guilty because I have all this time at home and I’m not being productive.” This is a common response I’ve been hearing from friends and seeing on Facebook postings. Enough! Let’s put an end to these harsh self-judgments. The “productive” path right now is to give yourself time to adjust to the coronavirus’ mandated [...]
Pat Taub
Coping with Laughter, A Recommended Film, Supporting Nurses & More
Laughter as a Coping Method While COVID is no laughing matter, especially as the deaths soar, and our medical workers are woefully ill equipped with protective gear, laughing can help to discharge our frustrations. Here’s a link to a very funny Instagram short video of a woman cooking and dancing at the same time. Her exuberance is catching [...]
Pat Taub
Coping with COVID Anxiety
Truth-telling time: I don’t always follow (some days barely at all) the COVID coping suggestions I’ve offered in recent WOW blogs. When this happens it’s because pandemic anxiety gets the upper hand, casting me into an irrational mind set. Here’s a sampling from this past weekend when I fell off the wagon, or when my anxiety had [...]
Pat Taub
#Not Dying4Wall Street, A Surprise, A Good Read & More!
#NotDying4WallStreet This is a new popular hash tag, which sprung up after Trump suggested that the country’s social isolation end by Easter, noting that if some people (us older adults) have to die, it may be worth it to get the economy rolling again. Jeffrey St. Clair, writing in Counterpunch, referred to Trump’s sacrificial plan as [...]
Pat Taub
WOW Readers’ Responses to COVID-19
Believing that many women have found creative and soulful ways of managing coronavirus that would benefit all of us, I posted a notice on the WOW Facebook page asking members how they’re coping with COVID-19. I was very moved by their resourcefulness, empathy and strivings to remain positive. I hope you will be similarly inspired. [...]
Pat Taub
Spring Arrives, A COVID-19 Plus, Hibernating Choices
First Day of Spring With COVID-19 grabbing all the headlines, the first day of spring arrived without the usual fanfare. But if we take time to welcome spring with fresh flowers from the market or thanking the sun for its presence, our virus obsession becomes a little less crazy-making. Here’s a photo of boastful tulips gracing a table [...]
Pat Taub
When It Feels Like the World is Coming to An End . . .
Statements made by those for whom the coronavirus poses survival issues: “I can’t afford health insurance. How will I manage if I get the coronavirus?” “The restaurant where I work has closed. How will I pay my rent if I’m out of work for weeks or months?” Responses from those whose lifestyle choices have been affected: “I’m [...]
Pat Taub
Dealing with Uncertainty
GUEST POST by GWEN McCAULEY Here I am thinking of ‘retiring’ for a second time after officially retiring 25 years ago. That first time I retired I received a generous buy-out package from a major telecommunications company after 20 years of hard work and much success. I knew the world was changing. I knew that the aspects of corporate [...]
Pat Taub
Primaries Trauma, Street Art, A Good Read & International Women’s Day
Primaries Trauma As a Bernie supporter, I’m in the doldrums after Biden’s Super Tuesday’s sweep. I had such high hopes for a real progressive leader that would address climate change, unfair wages, racial inequalities, the need for universal medical care and more. I realize the primaries aren’t over, but worry that the establishment’s [...]
Pat Taub
Resisting Body Shaming
Whenever I visit Western Europe I can’t help but notice how much kinder it is to the aging woman than the States are. We are bombarded by media images that equate beauty almost exclusively with a young body. By contrast, women in Western Europe, while aware of their aging forms, don’t seem to experience body shaming to the same degree. [...]
Pat Taub