At lightning speed, Trump is chucking the constitution and flaunting cruel racist policies, throwing many Americans into despair. Climbing...
Mean-Spirited Politics, Broadchurch, A Portland Artist & Christmas
Mean-Spirited Politics Take Center Stage What a week for repressive politics! The horrid tax bill passes and then Trump trumps himself by proclaiming that US embassy in Israel will be moved to Jerusalem! Al Franken resigns while child molester Moore gains traction in Alabama! The silver lining in all this seems to be a renewed progressive [...]
Pat Taub
Be A Force for Compassion!
Imagine a runaway train charging from Washington, DC to California emitting hate from its smoke stacks, collecting more venom at each station. This is what life in in the United States has become under Trump. How do we stop the Trump Hate Express? We can start by practicing compassion, a proven antidote to hate. As Martin Luther King famously [...]
Pat Taub
The Horrible Tax Bill, Family Thanksgiving & A Crime Thriller
The Horrible, Horrible Tax Bill I’m on pins and needles anticipating today’s vote on the Draconian tax bill. I’ve phoned Senator Collins office til I’m blue in the face, urging her to vote against it. At the moment it looks like the bill will pass. Besides a big give-away to the corporate Fat Cats the bill includes an unfair tax on [...]
Pat Taub
Mary Oliver: Poetry For the Soul
When my brother started dating a few years after his wife passed, he was surprised that Mary Oliver’s name readily surfaced in conversations with his dates. Baffled he asked me: “Why is Mary Oliver so popular with women?” I explained: “She speaks to our soul. Her words go to the heart of our lives.” Mary Oliver, now 82-years-old [...]
Pat Taub
14 Principles for Thoughtful Aging
After blogging about aging for over two years now I challenged myself to come up with guidelines for thoughtful aging. I’ve distilled into 14 principles what I’ve learned from life experience, reading, talking with close friends and interviews with wise women. Embrace Your Failures During the 1970’s when I was studying family therapy, [...]
Pat Taub
“Compassionate Journey,” Bonn Climate Change Conference, Portland Yard Signs & More
“Compassionate Journey:” A Nonfiction Book in Pre-Publication This week I had tea with Jane Sloven (pictured below) where she shared the manuscript for her collaborative book project, “Compassionate Journey.” Jane and four other women have produced a collection of their mother stories. I’m very moved by this endeavor because it [...]
Pat Taub
Diving Into Food Memories
If I had a time machine, I’d revisit cherished food memories, entering into those moments where food connected me to love and warm hospitality. I first invited someone to the table at age three. I had a ritual of tugging my just-home-from-work father into my playroom where a miniature tea set was centered on a child-sized table. My father [...]
Pat Taub
Tuesday’s Election, “Hillbilly Elegy,” My Medical Marijuana Card & More!
A Hopeful Tuesday Tuesday’s election didn’t land us where we need to be as a country, but it went a long way towards countering Trumpism. The Trump candidate in Virginia lost. Charlotte, NC elected it’s first Black female mayor. Eight transgender candidates won seats in local and state governments while sizeable numbers of women won [...]
Pat Taub
My Online Dating Saga
If you’re an older woman who’s contemplating joining an online dating service be prepared for a lot of rejection, way too many boring dates, men who are unbelievably self-absorbed and ribbing from friends with asides like, ”Where are you hiding Mr. Right?” Given the blows to my self-esteem delivered by online dating. why haven’t [...]
Pat Taub
Social Inequality, Images of Social Inequality, Halloween & More
Signs of Social Inequality Here’s a photo from Hannaford’s Portland, Maine parking lot. I took the photo looking directly into the sun, which is why it’s faded, but the message comes through. It has the ring of “Grapes of Wrath” 2017 style. Heart-breaking to imagine what life is like for the inhabitants of this van. [...]
Pat Taub