Where I’m Coming From
Compiled by Forrest Preece
Judy Osborn, retired attorney
- What’s something about you that not many people know?
I have joined a sweat lodge ceremony led by a Lakota chief; I’ve been interviewed by a Paris radio station, in French, about the death penalty; and I’m a Master Naturalist with a love of native plants. I once hung up on a Texas Supreme Court Justice who called me while I was in law school because I thought it was a prank.
- What was your first job?
Babysitting came first, then waitressing at the lunch counter of Montgomery Ward in Fort Worth. I recommend the lessons learned by starting life in the hospitality industry.
- If you could have dinner with three people – dead or alive, at any time in history—who would they be?
Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh (to learn from), former President Obama (for the conversation), and my late husband Roger Sanchez (to treasure the moment). I think they’d be a compatible trio, too.
- If you had to pick three musicians for a playlist, who would they be?
Eva Callaway, Willie Nelson, Led Zeppelin
- Favorite book and TV show?
For books, it’s “Independent People” by Haldor Laxness (a masterpiece of Icelandic literature) and “Human Scale” by Lawrence Wright (a sweeping, timely thriller). For TV shows, it’s “Breaking Bad” and, currently, “The Pitt” and “Landman” (so awful in a good way).
- Most powerful movie you have seen?
“Schindler’s List”
- Favorite place in Austin?
I treasure my home of 34 years with an acre of woods, outstanding neighbors, and my life’s best memories.
- Favorite restaurant and watering hole
Odd Duck, Uchi, Barley Swine, and Canje have never disappointed me, and Wink Wine Bar is always fun.
- What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A teacher. Though I became a lawyer for employers, teaching willing clients to be law-abiding businesses turned out to be the core of that profession, too.
- Which living person do you most admire?
I yearn for the elegant manners, compassionate tone, and articulate voice of former President Obama.
- What makes you happy?
So many things! I am most at peace being in nature when I’m home or discovering unfamiliar countries when I’m not. When I walked the Camino across Spain three ago, it was the best of all worlds. And I love crafting stories to go with photos I take.
- Best advice you ever received?
Be here now, which I first discovered in Ram Dass’s 1970 book of the same name. As he wrote: “Being in the moment, at ease with whatever comes one’s way, becomes contentment.”
