I’ve chosen trailblazers in literature, music, painting, political activism and medicine. Many communities lost their own notable...
The Education of a Grandmother
There’s nothing quite like the first time you hold a grandchild, experiencing the miracle of your son or daughter now having his or her own child. The baby looking back at you seems like a divine gift. And it is, but as time goes on and you settle into being a grandmother, the relationship gets more complicated. You watch your adult child [...]
Pat Taub
“Mary Page Marlowe”: Making Peace With Our Past Selves
This past weekend I visited family in Chicago, home of the famed Steppenwolf Theater, which has birthed numerous Broadway plays. My daughter-in-law treated me to a Steppenwolf matinee to see the trial opening of Tracey Letts’ new play, Mary Page Marlowe. It depicts the major events in an older women’s life: collegiate dreams to visit [...]
Pat Taub
Talking to Connie and Adelaide–Part 2
The conversation continues and gets a bit more serious as Connie and Adelaide discuss death, making preparations to remain in their own homes, while offering more examples of the gifts of aging. Pat: Continuing on the theme of mystery, death strikes me as full of mystery. How do you conceive of death? Adelaide: My image of death [...]
Pat Taub
Talking to Two Remarkable Wise Women: Connie and Adelaide–Part 1
We talk all the time: to our neighbors as we pass them in the morning, on the phone to family members at long distance, or over a meal with friends. Most of our conversations are pleasant, but rarely do they jar us, make us see the world differently and touch our souls. But every now and then, if we’re lucky, we have the chance to engage [...]
Pat Taub
Aging May be a Laughing Matter After All. . .
As Bette Davis reminds us, “Aging isn’t for sissies.” To embrace aging fearlessly is indeed a bold act. We all know the importance of diet and exercise, having a sense of purpose and building close, nurturing relationships, but sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to developing a sense of humor around the demands of aging. I‘m [...]
Pat Taub
Let’s Take Back Mother’s Day by Replacing Flowers and Cards with Peace Actions!
Given the fact that the United States has the most aggressive military presence on the planet, with 662 military bases in 38 foreign countries, peace work couldn’t be more important. A good way to pump some new life into the peace movement is for women to reinvigorate their commitment to it. I can’t think of a better way to start than [...]
Pat Taub
The Journey Home to Self: Spirituality Late in Life
Aging has brought a renewed interest in the spiritual questions I grappled with during my late night college bull sessions. Is there a God? Can prayer make a difference in one’s life? What is my spiritual path? In my middle years I was too busy raising children and building a career to grapple with meaning of life questions with the intensity [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t You Dare Call Me OLD!
I have never witnessed anything quite like it: the adverse, often combative reactions many older women have to the label of “old woman.” In my classes, “Women and Aging,” when I suggest that we adopt with pride the label “old woman” to counter the negative images of the aging woman, invariably most of the class will adamantly resist–this [...]
Pat Taub
When Life Gets You Down, Turn to Your Inspiration Box
April in New England, where I live, is often a time that brings out the worst in its neighbors. We split hairs over our taxes, curse the weather for taking so long to bring us Spring, and for older women, like me, for the dampness which exacerbates arthritis. Wanting to avoid the crotchy old lady label, I suddenly remembered my inspiration [...]
Pat Taub
Diana Athill: Possibly the Coolest Old Woman on the Planet!
If you need inspiration and reassurance that old age can be a dynamic time and not a passage to be feared, then grab Diana Athill’s two memoirs. The first, Somewhere Towards the End, was written when she was 89. Her most recent memoir, Alive, Alive Oh! was published last year when Athill was 98! Athill is a wonderful example of how one can [...]
Pat Taub