About Julia Hubbel

The day was very dusty, and as always happens in Mongolia, very windy. In a huge bowl surrounded by cliffs and mountains near Uglii, the small city where the main Eagle Festival takes place at the beginning of the Central Asian winter…
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My dear friend Melissa sighed heavily. I could envision her face, framed by a touch of silver, her hair having finally been allowed to go all grey. It looks terrific. I’m not there yet – but getting close…
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A few mornings ago, Margaret Manning tossed down the gauntlet, gently as ever, for all of us to consider how our last high school reunion went. That is, of course, for those of us who chose to attend…
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I stood, wobbling on inline skates, in the bright Colorado sunshine, balancing precariously on the asphalt of a large movie theatre. Good thing the lot was empty as I needed plenty of room…
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Early this morning, I woke up in Washington DC, where I’m going to be delivering a speech in the late afternoon. I’m sitting at my desk in the sweet early hours, my workout gear on, ready to head out to the first floor where I know the gym is located. Read More

The woman wrote in obvious distress that she was repeating herself. Felt depressed. Brain fog. Admitted to the occasional suicidal thought. She was terrified she was getting Alzheimer’s’ disease. At this point, she is committing to a long, possibly painful and confusing process of testing at a major university. Read More

Ellen hunched over the saddle like Quasimodo, hanging on, for dear life, to the saddle horn with one hand and the back of the saddle with the other, as Toni (her horse) trotted rapidly to keep up with the front of the herd…
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Yesterday morning this landed in my inbox from Margaret Manning:

Downsizing (and simplification, more generally) has been a passion of mine over the last several years. And, one of the things that I have discovered through this process is that downsizing isn’t so much about letting go of “stuff” as it is letting go of emotions, memories and psychological barriers to change. So, let’s talk about how to get ready for downsizing at any age. Have you already gone through the process of downsizing your home? Or, are you thinking about doing this in the years to come? Read More

Last year, I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at a youth hostel. Tucked away upstairs, in my own spare private room, I pondered this past year. Read More

Reading today’s title, you might want to throw your wine glass at me, but I assure you, there’s a method to my madness. I found it while considering a speech that many of us have heard, or read, from Nelson Mandela…
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