There are too many mornings when I wake up with a heaviness. Sometimes it’s the weight of the world. Sometimes it’s the accumulation of years, recognizing there is less time ahead of me than behind me. I have been an activist [...]
Pat Taub
There are too many mornings when I wake up with a heaviness. Sometimes it’s the weight of the world. Sometimes it’s the accumulation of years, recognizing there is less time ahead of me than behind me. I have been an activist for much of my life. I have marched, protested, written, spoken out and stood with people who were fighting for [...]
Pat Taub
“Grief is the price you pay for love.” Amy Bloom When I was young funeral attendance was largely confined to grandparents and ancient uncles and aunts. As an elder, funerals and memorial services routinely fill my calendar. In spite of death’s regularity, I remain awkward around a grief-stricken friend or relative. My discomfort is [...]
Pat Taub
I’d gotten used to fooling nature; people frequently assumed I was ten years younger than my age. Overnight that changed. Store clerks, strangers, and family members began recasting me as a little old lady needing assistance. At Walgreens, in search of a shower cap, I approached a clerk for help. The pleasant young woman escorted me [...]
Pat Taub
“The great challenge . . . is to keep awake the part of you that knows . . . what it means to be alive.” The Marginalian, February, 22, 2026 Trump’s devastating takeover of the federal government has awakened many here and abroad to the perils the U S faces. Authoritarianism merges with fascism at home. Injustice and inequality grow. [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN I am 73. My white hair, tentative gait, and blue cane say so to others even when I don’t. No one snarls, “Hey, Gramps! Move it!” but even well-meant acts can be ungentle reminders. On New Year’s Eve morning I visited my local supermarket, paid for my groceries, and began to lift a heavy [...]
Pat Taub
This past weekend I drove to the mall for holiday gifts. Entering TJ Maxx, I was flabbergasted by the towers of holiday merchandise, which spilled over into the narrow aisles, making for tricky navigation. Overwhelmed by this crass commercialism, I made a few purchases and raced to my car. Back at home, over a cup of tea, I revisited past [...]
Pat Taub
I’ve always tried to find reasons to be hopeful when the world is dark. But after reading Substack posts by Caitlin Johnstone and Jena Brown, who describe love as central to their resistance, I decided to try prioritizing love over hope in my activism. Unlike hope which can be amorphous and intangible, like hoping for the best in people, [...]
Pat Taub
One of the positives of aging is living an unhurried life with ample down time, offering opportunities for reflection. These moments have led me to conceive of aging in a spiritual context, giving my life new meaning. What do I mean by spiritual aging? It’s reframing ordinary moments as sacred, casting a gratitude perspective on relationships [...]
Pat Taub
When I think about what has made my life meaningful, it’s come from those experiences where I woke up. Events that rocked my world when I was confronted with truths that ran counter to how I was living my life. As a young woman I was awakened as a result of living through the Viet Nam war and the second wave of Feminism. As the Viet [...]
Pat Taub
I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day to honor not just our biological mothers but our spiritual mothers as well. They are the teachers, neighbors, aunts, family friends and others whose generosity of spirit left an indelible impression on our younger selves. Often these women didn’t have their own children but lovingly nurtured and [...]
Pat Taub