The cartoonist, Lynda Barry, contends that most adults suffer from “play amnesia.” Living in these dark times, many overlook play...
Peggy Akers: A Vietnam Truth Teller
For most Americans the Vietnam War has been reduced to a historical footnote. For those who served, it is not easily forgotten. Many Vietnam vets continue to suffer from PTSD or, for the truly unlucky, from crippling wounds or from Agent Orange. Other vets, like Peggy Akers of Portland, Maine, bemoan the fact that the lessons of Vietnam continue [...]
Pat Taub
Unrealistic Portrayal of Women in Films; Williams Sisters, Surviving an MRI & More!
Taking Issue with the Way Women are Portrayed in Films This week I watched the bland film, “Book Club” about four older women in a long-time book club who decide to read “Fifty Shades of Gray.” They become sexually awakened and suddenly each one has a romantic partner! I find this very unrealistic given how difficult my single friends [...]
Pat Taub
Count Basie, My Spiritual Guide
Guest Post by Michael Steinman I used to think of the pianist, composer, bandleader Count Basie, whose birthday was August 21st, as a monumental figure of the jazz I love. Maybe he is no more to readers than a dimly remembered figure. As I’ve aged, though, I think of him as a spiritual guide – not in anything he said, but in the spacious [...]
Pat Taub
Wild News Week, Grandson Max, A Weekend Read & A Great Frontline Program
What A Week! One scandal after another poured out of Washington! Is the Orange Monster on the way out? Can we rally the progressive forces to gain Democratic control of the House? These questions sparked conversation everywhere I went this week. Like most of you, I long to see my country turn from hate and corruption to a more benevolent, [...]
Pat Taub
Are You Neglecting Your Soul?
This is a tricky question because the soul is intangible, mysterious and hard to grasp, yet we recognize when our soul is awakened. Our world lights up, transporting us to another dimension. My soul is stirred when I listen to Aretha Franklin sing, cuddle a newborn baby, watch a sun rise, purchase fresh flowers, or find myself crying [...]
Pat Taub
Mourning Aretha, My Friend Grace, Finding Hope & More!
Mourning Aretha Like many or all of you I’m filled with memories and sadness at the passing of the “Queen of Soul.” Not only did Aretha have a miraculous voice, but she also had a strong political conscience, fearless in speaking out for Blacks and women. Aretha offered to pay bail for Angela Davis when she was arrested on drummed-up [...]
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
Remembering My Father, Women’s Primary Wins, A Cottage Move & More!
August 9th August 9th is an auspicious date for me for two reasons: the tragic anniversary of Hiroshima and my father’s birthday, born in 1913. He died in 1994 succumbing to a rare form of blood cancer. My parents lived in Harrisburg, Penna., remaining there during the meltdown of Three Mile Island. I’ve always wondered if my father’s [...]
Pat Taub
How I Learned to Stop Hiding My Money Under the Mattress
Guest Post by Joan Smith Many single women in the over-seventy crowd admit to the spectre of the bag lady looming in the background. She embodies our fear of not having enough to live on, just when our ability to earn is diminishing. You know those articles about planning for our retirement? Many of us don’t have enough extra to warrant [...]
Pat Taub
A Remarkable Nun, Sunflowers, The Purple Lady & More!
A Remarkable Nun Last Sunday and Monday I hosted Sister Megan Rice, the 88 year-old activist nun from Washington, DC who was in Maine to promote the new documentary she’s featured in, The Nuns, the Priests and the Bombs. This photo was taken in front of my condo, which was formerly a residence for nuns who worked at Mercy Hospital across [...]
Pat Taub