If you live alone, if your family is scattered far and wide, if you recently lost a partner or spouse, if you can’t afford the plane...
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Dark Times, A Granddaughter Graduates, RBG documentary & More!
Trying to Manage Dark Times Periodically the dark times we’re experiencing get to me. I sink into despair. I have discovered that the most effective way to climb out of my political despair is to join others in protest actions. Today, I’ll be standing with a Portland noon contingent in front of the US Attorney’s office to protest [...]
Pat Taub
Crafting Healing Stories to Shed Anger
One of the most valuable lessons aging has bestowed on me is the importance of shedding anger. The less anger I hold the more inner peace I possess. I’ve learned to release a lot of my anger by imagining myself inhabiting the lives of those who have hurt me, resulting in a new story where I experience compassion towards the other. This [...]
Pat Taub
Gaza, Granddaughter Jane, Signs of Spring & More!
Poor Gaza! The past few weeks have seen 111 unarmed Gazan protestors shot by Israeli forces as they gathered at the Israeli border to mark Nakba, the day 70 years ago when Israel forced Gazans to leave their homeland. Ever since they have been living under tight Israeli military rule in what many call the “world’s largest open-air prison.” [...]
Pat Taub
Healing the Mother Wound
Mother’s Day can be an unsettling occasion for those adult daughters with a pronounced mother wound. A celebration of mothers can reawaken a daughter’s memories of the maternal hurt she experienced growing up and which continues to affect her primary relationships. The mother wound can be traced to a woman’s proclivity to rejection, [...]
Pat Taub
August in May, A Sudden Death, Appearing in the Boston Globe & More!
August in May Wow! Wednesday set a record for Portland, Maine with temps climbing close to 90! It was crazy in that the previous day I was wearing a spring coat and a day later I’m in a T-shirt and thin slacks. Does this portend an unusually hot summer? It certainly speaks to the erratic temps brought on by global warming. [...]
Pat Taub
Growing Old Without a Partner
I’m all for love and romance but when our love options run out as we age, when dating is more frustrating than satisfying, wouldn’t we be happier if we accepted that love is no longer in the cards, seeking companionship among friends and family? I mentioned this to a friend who looked aghast as if I were delivering a death sentence! [...]
Pat Taub
Learning to Be Old
What if the US had an official agency called “Learning to be Old”? Here’s how I imagine it: older women and men are scheduled for aging interviews where their aging progress is assessed followed by recommendations for a meaningful old age. When I show up for my interview I’m escorted to the women’s section and led [...]
Pat Taub
“Happiness is a Choice You Make:” A Book Review
In his best-selling book, “Happiness is a Choice You Make,” the author, John Leland makes the intriguing claim, “If you want to be happy, think like an old person.” Curious about Leland’s thesis, I scooped up his book, eager for tips on being happy in my advanced years and wanting to escape the lot of the old people in my family [...]
Pat Taub
An Impressive Teen Leader, My Sister-in-Law, Anna Deavere Smith & More
An Impressive Student Leader Bright, concerned teens all over the country are speaking out against gun violence, shaming their elders for their inaction. Yesterday in Augusta, Maine, Pearl Benjamin, a 16 year-old Camden high school student addressed the Maine State House at a gun control rally, Here’s a brief except from her talk: My friends [...]
Pat Taub
Florida School Shooting, My Granddaughter Turns 14, a Hunger Striker & More
Florida School Shooting Like most of you I’m still in shock over Wednesday’s horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida. I can’t imagine losing a child to such senseless violence. I think of my granddaughter who will enter high school next year. It’s apparent that the initiative for gun control will not come from our Congress. It’s [...]
Pat Taub