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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After the Sobbing, the Sorting
Guest post by Janet Weil A favorite Jack Kornfield book title of mine is “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry” — modern stories and ancient tales of dealing with life’s day-to-day challenges after the ecstasy of spiritual epiphanies. That phrase frequently ran through my mind as I faced a long to-do list after my mother, [...]
Pat Taub
A Lovely Older Woman, Smiles, Grandson Max & Joan Didion
Joan, A Lovely Older Woman Last Sunday I stopped by Aurora, a neighborhood coffee house/ gourmet food store. Joan was in line in front of me. I was struck by her poise and warm smile. When I asked to photograph her, she didn’t hesitate. I admired her orange scarf, which she said was a favorite of her late husband, explaining she was wearing [...]
Pat Taub
A Great Birthday, Tears for Puerto Rico & a Scavenger Hunt
Recapping My Birthday Weekend I returned home in the wee hours of Tuesday morning after a wonderful Birthday weekend in LA, courtesy of youngest son Jonathan who lives in nearby Santa Monica. The highlights were seeing Hamilton; an exhibit of Chagall’s costumes for the Paris Opera at LACAMA (Los Angeles Country Museum of Art); the Santa [...]
Pat Taub
LA Bound to Celebrate My Birthday, Grieving for Puerto Rico & “Transparent”
Off to LA In a few hours I’ll be boarding a plane for LA to spend a long weekend with my son Jonathan, who lives in Santa Monica. It’s become a ritual for me to celebrate my Oct. 1st birthday with Jonathan. I’m anticipating visiting the Santa Monica farmer’s market, the LA art museum, and eating incredible meals. Below is a photo of [...]
Pat Taub
Honoring Our Mother Line
Reading Deborah Tannen’s piece in last week’s New York Times entitled, “My Mother Speaks Through Me,” it dawned on me that as I age I’m becoming more and more like my mother. My younger self would have fumed at this comparison, but my older self honors it. My everyday life has been enriched by adopting some of my mother’s habits: [...]
Pat Taub
Shop Owners Who Care, Autumn Images & RIP The Village Voice
Caring Signs on Portland Shop Windows Walking about my neighborhood last weekend I spotted these signs, which were a welcome counterpoint to the hatred emanating from Washington. I think the real hope for change lies in our local communities and even at the state level. Maine aside, numerous states are bucking DC to enact climate protections [...]
Pat Taub
Positive in My 70’s
As another birthday approaches I have basically two choices: to agonize over my advancing age OR to look at the glass as half full and take stock of what is positive about being in my seventies. While there are unwelcome aspects to aging, like diminished energy and physical agility, sleep problems and occasionally missing a companion, I refuse [...]
Pat Taub
A Good Read, Thanksgiving Pies & More
A Touching Memoir This week I zipped through Joyce Maynard’s just-published memoir, The Best of Us. It’s about her brief, loving marriage, which ended abruptly when her husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died a year after the diagnosis and only three years after he and Joyce were married. Her honest, deeply moving story gave [...]
Pat Taub
The Unbearable Suffering of Palestinian Mothers
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about a YouTube video I watched over the weekend, “How to be a Palestinian Supermom.” It features the Palestinian mother Manal Tamimi, describing her determination to provide a loving home for her children in the face of unrelenting Israeli oppression. Like most Palestinian mothers Manal never knows [...]
Pat Taub
My Grandson’s Birthday, Nocturnal City Walks & A WOW Muse
My Grandson’s Birthday Today my grandson Max celebrates his 12th birthday. I always associate Max with Katrina because he was born a few days before the flood walls broke in New Orleans turning this beautiful city into a nightmare for its African American citizens. While caring for Max, my daughter-in-law and I were glued to the television [...]
Pat Taub