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...
Feminism10
Walking with New Eyes
I was driving myself crazy over the prospect of Trump winning re-election, turning our country into a fully-fledged Fascist nation where hate rules. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t shake my doomsday thinking. I was desperate for a way out, a path to quell my anxiety. An answer presented itself in the form of Alexandra Horowitz’s [...]
Pat Taub
Are You Addicted to Apologizing?
You might be thinking, “What are you talking about? Apologies are my way of showing respect lest I appear insensitive or rude.” I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a place for apology in our lives, but most women apologize ad nauseum, which puts them at a disadvantage. When we constantly say, “I’m sorry” for a perceived upset [...]
Pat Taub
Country Images, Democratic Convention, Mail Mess & More!
Country Snapshots I’ve been spending most of the week this summer at my country retreat in Waldoboro, Maine. Last Sunday, with two old friends, I attended a dinner at a pig farm that hosts monthly meals in their charming meadow. Here’s two photos from the dinner: a mama pig and her piglets and tables ready for guests. It was a little [...]
Pat Taub
Women’s Friendships As A Lifeline
A friend once said, “If grown women had pajama parties, they wouldn’t need therapists.” She was referring to the close connections among girls that often get lost when women mature, becoming preoccupied with family and careers. Feminist psychology contends that because women are affiliative by nature they frequently find their voice [...]
Pat Taub
Post Office Scandal, A Free Play, Unsung Sheroes & More!
Agitated Over the Post Office Scandal I’m filled with fury over Herr Orange’s blatant attempts to steal the election by defunding the post office to limit their services in an attempt to curtail mail-in ballots. If it weren’t enough to cut back on post office funds, now our Fascist Post Master General is removing sorting machines from [...]
Pat Taub
Celebrating the Mother Line
Reading a 2017 essay by Deborah Tannen “My Mother Speaks Through Me,” I paused at the sentence: Though my mother died in 2004, she is the one whose voice comes out when I speak, and whose speaking style shapes how I hear others’ words. I too have been surprised, even amused, when I say something that sounds just like my mother. Unlike [...]
Pat Taub
Does the Age Positive Movement Silence Older Women Who Don’t Fall into Line?
From its conception almost 5 years ago, WOW has been committed to encouraging older women to identify and resist the cultural messages that denigrate the aging women. Blog posts have emphasized the positives of aging, while championing the on-going contributions of older women in the arts, politics and spirituality. I hadn’t questioned WOW’s [...]
Pat Taub
Are You Tending to Your Soul?
This is a tricky question because the soul is intangible, mysterious and hard to grasp, yet we recognize when our soul is awakened. Our world lights up, transporting us to another dimension. I feel soulful when I create a bouquet from wild flowers, re-engage with a long-lost friend, listen to Mozart, or take a solitary walk on country roads. [...]
Pat Taub
Listening to Nurses
With COVID-19 propelling nurses into the headlines, I wanted to understand what it means to be a nurse. I contacted the National Nurses Union, who put me in touch with two Maine nurses, Cokie Giles, 64, and her daughter Jessie Lambert, 38. Last week we talked via Zoom. As members of the union, Cokie and Jessie are protected from being [...]
Pat Taub
Why Do Mothers-in-Law Have a Negative Image?
When my oldest son became engaged, a luncheon was arranged to introduce me to his finance’s family. The scrutiny I received from my future daughter-in-law’s sisters made me feel like they were from the CIA. I experienced the uncomfortable sensation that I was being sized-up to determine the extent to which I’d be a problematic mother-in-law. [...]
Pat Taub