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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The Older Woman’s Superpowers
I’m here to announce that you, the older woman, possess superpowers. I realize this may sound a little crazy because you’re used to feeling diminished through the cultural messages which define you in terms of your aging body. But you’re much more than your wrinkles, reduced flexibility, puffy tummy and gray hair. Maturity has granted [...]
Pat Taub
Key West, Two Great Films, A Brilliant Novel & More!
Key West Lucky me, I’m still enjoying my Key West break from Maine’s crappy winter punctuated by icy roads and sidewalks. Last week my youngest son paid a brief visit. We walked a lot, beached a little and ate like the locals, feasting on Cuban sandwiches, conch fritters and the ubiquitous Key Lime pie. After sampling a few pies, we [...]
Pat Taub
My Unconventional Valentine’s Rituals
Several years ago, when I grew weary of my unpartnered Valentine’s Days limited to red construction paper hearts from my grandchildren or Internet offers of bargain chocolates, I decided to make a ritual of doing something special for myself on Valentine’s Day, so I wouldn’t feel left out. That first year I indulged in a longtime desire [...]
Pat Taub
Aging, the Gift that (Hopefully) Keeps on Giving
GUEST POST by LISA SAVAGE I hit 65 this year which is a milestone that brought many gifts: Medicare, a family party outdoors with my same-month birthday sisters, and permission to be officially old. I already had arthritic hands, an inflamed sacroiliac joint, and cataracts so bad I gave up night driving years ago. When I wake up in the morning, [...]
Pat Taub
Key West, Octavia Butler, Macbeth & More!
Key West Vacation My winter escape to Key West continues, for which I remain grateful. While the Northeast is hunkering down for the biggest snowfall of the season, Key Westers are grumbling about Sunday’s weather forecast, which predicts a high of only 58! Miami could see temps in the 30’s. It’s all relative. On a walk yesterday [...]
Pat Taub
No Bucket List for This Gal!
I think I will tear my hair out if one more person asks, “How’s your bucket list coming along?” The implication is that I’m running out of time to camp in the Sahara, jump out of an airplane, learn Italian or any number of demanding feats. If I were to answer, “The hell with a bucket list,” in all likelihood, I’d be considered [...]
Pat Taub
How I Learned to Stop Fighting Aging
For a long time, I resisted aging. I dyed my hair, refused help, put off updating my will, and held my head upright to smooth out my wrinkled neck and sagging jaw lines. I relished being told that I looked much younger. Then Covid hit, forcing me into a prolonged isolation with hours and hours of long days alone. Without access to my hairdresser, [...]
Pat Taub
Mask Wars, “Don’t Look Up,” Ann Patchett & More
Mask Wars in Portland, Maine I was sickened to read in today’s Portland Press Herald that the vociferous mask wars have heated up in my hometown of Portland, Maine. This week the City Council passed a resolution requiring masks in all public places. The councilman, Andrew Zarro, who sponsored the ordinance has received death threats, [...]
Pat Taub
A Christmas Orphan, Joan Didion, “Being the Ricardos” & More
Being A Christmas Orphan The surging Omicron virus had me scuttling my holiday plans to fly to Chicago to spend Christmas with my oldest son and his family. It was a hard decision, but it feels like a case of “Better safe than sorry.” Like many families, who are separated this year due to Covid, we will Zoom or FaceTime on Christmas [...]
Pat Taub
My Search for Meaning
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? 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 of my [...]
Pat Taub