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
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
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
Guest post by Stephanie Betzold Lately, I‘ve been thinking a lot about my childhood friends, best friends, fading friends and new friends, the seasons of friendship and how I personally define friend and friendship. Retired for two years now, I have taken advantage of the gift of time to think about my life. I’m more aware of the many [...]
Pat Taub
Talking to older women, in groups I’ve led and among friends, I’ve discovered a disconnect between what women tell me and what the popular culture reports about the sex life of older women. A Huffington Post survey conducted last July found that 59% of the partnered women over 60 had an active sex life with a third of the women over 70 [...]
Pat Taub
Guest post by Ann Tracy When is it that one finally realizes that maybe they are indeed “old”? Do we have individual epiphanies or do we barely notice when we prefer leggings or pants over tights or pantyhose and skirts. Or is that just me? Now at the age of 64, I’m finally able to not care about looking “sexy” [...]
Pat Taub
Guest Post by Elaine McGillicuddy Once the funeral is over, and the sympathy cards arrive less frequently, what is it like, after every errand, or meeting with a friend, to return to an empty house? I couldn’t bear the void. It’s desperation that told me: “Just sit! Just sit.” What relief to find that in sitting, I experienced Francis’ [...]
Pat Taub
Guest Post by Elaine McGillicuddy (First in a two-part series by Elaine on living as a widow) For me, the process of dealing with my grief through the loss of my beloved husband was through writing. I felt compelled to preserve Francis’ words, and what we experienced together during the 100 days from the date of the cancer diagnosis until [...]
Pat Taub
By Luisa Deprez, Guest Blogger How do you do something you have never done before? How do you realign your life – completely – after moving out of well-established routines of over 40 years? How do you grasp the idea that you are no longer on another’s time clock? That the one you now have is completely yours, to do with [...]
Pat Taub
Now that I’m in my seventh decade I’m starting to think about how I want to live when I’m really old. That day will come for me–and for all of us–when I won’t be steady on my feet, when aches and pains will rule, and when I’ll want the company of like-minded souls close at hand. Additionally I’ll want easy access to [...]
Pat Taub