It’s been just one week since Trump won the Presidential election, catapulting many into despair, terrified of his campaign pledges...
Mary Oliver7
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
The Healing Power of Poetry
Since April is National Poetry month and since this April we’re all frantic over COVID, what could be a better time to celebrate the healing powers of poetry? If you’re like me you have favorite poets that you might consult when you’ve been asked to recite a poem at a wedding or funeral, but you probably don’t read poetry as regularly [...]
Pat Taub
California Vacation, Foreign Films, Mary Oliver & More!
California Vacation Lucky me, I’m writing from sunny Palm Springs, CA where I’m vacationing, and escaping the snow and ice. I’m particularly grateful to be in a warm clime as Maine anticipates a heavy snowfall this weekend. This is my first time in the desert. I love the full sun but miss the ocean—a first world complaint to [...]
Pat Taub
Survival Tips for 2019
When someone wishes me “Happy New Year” I’m tempted to respond, “What’s to be happy about given all the bad news in the country?” We’re faced with a government shutdown, record numbers of migrant families held in cages, a mustached war hawk Presidential advisor and massive social and income inequality. Once I settle down I realize [...]
Pat Taub
Kavanaugh Hearings, Serena, Finding Hope & More!
Sickening Hearings Watching the Republicans try to railroad Kavanaugh through the Senate hearings on his qualifications to be a Supreme, where almost unbearable. What’s really outrageous is the way Maine’s Senator Collins is defending him against recent evidence he purged himself more than once. Mainers, keep up the pressure and keep [...]
Pat Taub
Bemoaning My Physical Decline
I’ve more or less accepted the changes aging brings to my appearance: wrinkles, a sagging jaw line, droopy breasts and a puffy tummy. The physical limitations are another story. I am frequently at war with the arthritis in my left knee and right shoulder. I curse my body when my long walks have to be curtailed because my knee swells [...]
Pat Taub
Mary Oliver: Poetry For the Soul
When my brother started dating a few years after his wife passed, he was surprised that Mary Oliver’s name readily surfaced in conversations with his dates. Baffled he asked me: “Why is Mary Oliver so popular with women?” I explained: “She speaks to our soul. Her words go to the heart of our lives.” Mary Oliver, now 82-years-old [...]
Pat Taub