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...
Home Alone
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 fare to visit family or to enjoy a holiday escape, you may be feeling miserable and lonely, making [...]
Pat Taub
Getting Old10
Making Dying Less Scary
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I never think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book, I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered, realizing I have [...]
Pat Taub
Becoming Resilient
In her new memoir, “A Life in Light,” popular author Mary Pipher offers life lessons on becoming resilient by moving into the light. For Pipher, light isn’t just a metaphor but a literal expression of how light restores her. Ever since she was a small child Pipher was drawn to the light. Her first memory is as an infant, lying on a blanket [...]
Pat Taub
Diana Athil: A Long Life of Inspiration and Joy
If you need inspiration and reassurance that old age is still 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 memoir, Alive, Alive Oh! was published when Athill was 98, three years before her death at 101 when she was working on [...]
Pat Taub
The Key to A Happy Old Age
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.” I was skeptical of Leland’s thesis, lacking role models for old people who were happy. My paternal grandmother railed at her live-in help; my maternal grandmother became [...]
Pat Taub
How Did We Become So Obsessed with Aging?
My grandmothers and mother lived into their 80’s, transitioning into old age with only minimal complaints. They didn’t take mega doses of vitamins, or exercise madly to stave off the Grim Reaper. Nor were they bombarded with advice on how to slow the aging process. Both of my grandmothers dressed up almost every day. My paternal grandmother [...]
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
Resisting Body Shaming
Whenever I visit Western Europe I can’t help but notice how much kinder it is to the aging woman than the States are. We are bombarded by media images that equate beauty almost exclusively with a young body. By contrast, women in Western Europe, while aware of their aging forms, don’t seem to experience body shaming to the same degree. [...]
Pat Taub
The Week I Became A Little Old Lady
Even though I’m in my 8th decade, most days I feel youngish, energetic and in step with the world, old, but not really old. This past week my self-image was radically challenged when a few random encounters forced me to recognize that I am often seen as a little old lady–a likely stereotype given my short stature and thin frame. [...]
Pat Taub
Badass Older Women Tackling Ageism
I’m seeing a new boldness among older women who are talking back when ageist behavior is directed at them. These women are standing up for themselves and for all of us when they challenge a culture that demeans the older woman. Allow me to introduce some of these badass women: Rachel, age 69, is a frequent traveler who at just 5’ struggles [...]
Pat Taub
Coming into My Own at 60
GUEST POST by TONI KIEF The day I turned sixty I collided with a shocking revelation. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up! I was single again, living alone and on my way to meet my women friends for vodka and cake. The thought wouldn’t stop; it kept repeating. I drove to the party, and took inventory. At eleven I wanted [...]
Pat Taub