When I was going to elementary school in Beaverton, Oregon at Raleigh Hills Elementary School, I was taken out of class once a week to practice my phonics with Miss. VanLentee. I didn’t know why, and  the exercises were designed to make my learning disability painfully obvious.

For my whole life I didn’t quite know what to do with my ‘dyslexic’ past. Did I grow out of it? Was it still a problem for me? Did I pass the same problem on to my 6 yr. old daughter? (now 9)

I had always tried to hide from my dyslexic past. Not wanting to give anyone any indication that I might be different or have flaws.

Edison

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
- Albert Einstein

“A teacher sent the following note home with a six-year-old boy: “He is too stupid to learn.” That boy was Thomas A. Edison”.
- Thomas Edison

“I was, on the whole, considerably discouraged by my school days. It was not pleasant to feel oneself so completely outclassed and left behind at the beginning of the race.”- Winston Churchill

A movie that played at last years Bolder Life Festival changed my mind. Written and directed by James Redford (son of Robert). Robert’s grandson among other case studies in the movie document the brilliance and genus side of dyslexia that had only previously been known to me as a learning disability. No, not a learning disability, the movie points out, a dyslexic brain is 100% healthy. A dyslexic brain just works differently. Some say more creative, more concerned about the results and less about how to get there.

This year my 4^th grader was confronted by concerns from her teachers. Just before the parent teacher conference I was given a questionnaire with 100 questions about my daughters attention span, a spelling  test that she was given made from made up words and they recommended a vision test from a special eye doctor. . . It was clear to me that Taryn was not learning in the way that her teachers wanted her to learn. They were having trouble keeping her attention in class. Were there easy solutions out there? Ritalin, eye glasses, or was it her class instructors themselves that needed to change?

After being armed with some of the statistics that James supplied in this documentary, those teachers didn’t have a leg left to stand on. I encouraged them to buy the DVD and now I am sending each one an e-mail directly encouraging them to go see: “Dyslexia, the big picture”

Showing this Monday February 4^th at the Boulder Theater.

Article written by: Anthony Prichard, small business digital marketing manager . He facilitates sustainable business practices and multiple revenue streams. He is passionate about human development and the science of mind, body & spirit.

For a free 1 hour consultation with your business, visit Madlabmg.com  friend him on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/anthonyprichard

How could this smart looking woman who looks like she has got some good things going for herself be so stupid? Clear eyes, short dark curly hair, and a light frame with an athletic build. She had the dress of a conservative hippy and her walk was confident. Well, as it turned out, I was the stupid one when, about ten years later, I discovered that All You Can Eat Chinese and country buffet can cause bad heart burn and nasty indigestion!

I watched the organic food craze take off and observed it thinking, “What’s the big deal?”  Then I ate an organic banana! Have you ever tasted the difference between a GMO Banana and an organic banana?

The more I learned and the more I experimented in the kitchen, the more I felt better. Less enriched flour, no granulated sugar or high fructose. I picked up an inexpensive juicer and threw in different things to please my taste buds.  So, this year instead of going on a six week raw food&juice diet I went for 60 days. I thought, after 60 days, I will have gone far past the required 21 days it takes to form a new habit and really set some dynamic new personal routines for myself.  Woo, hoo!

So, there I was sitting there really starting to enjoy my new diet when it dawned upon me!  “I’m a vegan”!  No . . . I thought. . . how could it be??? My mouth dropped open.

“Better to be slapped with the truth than be kissed with a lie” Russian Proverb

It was a slap alright, and it felt like I just got ripped out of my size 10.5” shoes and had a dress slapped on me!~  That feeling only lasted one minute though.  Because I realized the world had changed in the last 15 years; that young hippie vegan woman started the movement that is helping to change the way people think about food. Food provides nourishment~!

Nourish your lives, Bold people. Challenge yourself to see what life tastes like from only fueling up with food that the sun made.

This year we are looking for amazing films and plays about food.

Article written by: Anthony Prichard, small business marketing and websites. He facilitates sustainable business practices and multiple revenue streams. He is passionate about human development and the science of mind, body & spirit.

For a free 1 hour consultation with your business, visit Madlabmg.com  friend him on Facebook or G+

email: aprichard@madlabmg.com

Did you see the sunrise this morning? Did you marvel at last night’s watchful moon? When you stood still, looking up at the vast expanse of sky above your head did you breathe in the cool air and give thanks for those moments that make you feel alive? I hope so. Life is short.

Last month I lost a very close comrade. He was too young to go, yet seemingly too vibrant for this world. Our friendship circle drew closer and tighter and through our collective grieving, and conversations with my dear friend, John Christian Phifer, a funeral director at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville, TN, my thoughts on death have changed dramatically.
In conjunction with what it means to live a bolder life, the choice we make in how to view loss and death is imperative to our vision of the world we live in.

During our conversations, John Christian spoke perfectly.
“By fostering a mindful relationship with death we will build a stronger relationship with life. Acknowledging death in our existence can teach us to see the value and meaning behind everything in our lives and create within us a true appreciation for each moment and every person and thing. Death is a necessary part of life itself. You can’t live without dying and you can’t die without living. We are all equals in the eyes of death.”

Both of my younger brothers had already lost close friends. At 31 years old this was my first experience. The grieving of peers looks very different to our pre conceived ideas of funerals or the memory of losing older relatives. It definitely seems closer to home, and induced in me, an intense fear of my own mortality. Yet choosing fear over love is the only sure way to become overwhelmed and begin to operate on a level that is not authentic to our present and only fails to honor the one we have lost.
After many tears, moments of anger, deep questioning and conversation we all made the decision to accept death as a friend.

Alan’s passing has encouraged us all to live presently. To state ourselves as the boldest, more beautiful versions of ourselves. To live out our dreams without apology. To shine more brightly than we may have done before. To embrace what it means to be alive, and mostly, to vibrate in this incredible world we are so lucky to inhabit, surrounded by people we adore.
Our time on the planet is brief. Love with all your heart, speak your truth and live each moment as if it was your last.
If life and death is something that interests you come see our short film titled ‘ADMISSIONS’ You’ll be glad you did.

Admissions, starring James Cromwell

of the tourist–either on a personal or national level, we must
remember that each of us has been or will be a tourist. But, how do
I get the most out of my trip to Boulder, CO? Talk to the locals and they will
lead you to what I would call the “underground” spots. The coffee shops that have live musicians
performing on a nightly basis (the laughing goat and the cigar bar are just two of these spots).

The goal, then, is to reconsider the ways in which we perceive tourism, and the ways we
address ourselves as tourists.

If we perceive tourism as a means of looking and seeing, then we
are merely scratching the surface of a place. If we want to be
somewhat of the “tourist police,” we can say that there are
tourists and there are “responsible tourists.” The normal
tourist sees the visible, the apparent, and society’s constructed
identity of what is important to experience in a given space.
The “responsible tourist,” however, seeks to see the true
confessions and character of a place, integrate and interact with
it’s people. To be a responsible tourist is best described by
Richard (played by Leonardo Dicaprio in the movie The Beach) in
which he states that the responsible traveler “never refuses an
invitation, never fails to be polite, and never outstays the
welcome. They keep their mind open and suck in the experience. And
if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it.” To be a
responsible tourist you must experience it–to feel it from the
soles of your feet to the pressing thoughts in your head. Being Bold
enough to risk reaching out into the unknown. Uncharted territory
compared to other tourists that came before you. This is the Boulder
that awaits the bold tourist!

This “type” of tourist is neither judgmental nor hesitant.
However, they do not beautify the place either because one cannot
simply paint over the ugly parts–just as history cannot be
eradicated from the experiences of people or place. The tourist
should focus on their senses, paying special attention to gestures,
emotions, sounds, and smells. The tourist should not just exist. The
tourist who is listening and learning needs to be present, focusing
on real human interactions, interpretive observations, and the
assemblage of the senses. If the tourist can achieve this state of
arrival, then the true character of this place will reveal
itself—perhaps causing the tourist to re-evaluate preconceived
notions, question the powers that be, and become galvanized.

Article written by: Jobi Berger, BolderLife Project Manager, Filmmaker Liaison, and
coffee shop connoisseur

If we perceive tourism as a means of looking and seeing, then we
are merely scratching the surface of a place. If we want to be
somewhat of the “tourist police,” we can say that there are
tourists and there are “responsible tourists.” The normal
tourist sees the visible, the apparent, and society’s constructed
identity of what is important to experience in a given space.
The “responsible tourist,” however, seeks to see the true
confessions and character of a place, intergrate and interact with
it’s people. To be a responsible tourist is best described by
Richard (played by Leonardo Dicaprio in the movie The Beach) in
which he states that the responsible traveler “never refuses an
invitation, never fails to be polite, and never outstays the
welcome. They keep their mind open and suck in the experience. And
if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it.” To be a
responsible tourist you must experience it–to feel it from the
soles of your feet to the pressing thoughts in your head. Being Bold
enough to risk reaching out into the unknown. Uncharted territory
compared to other tourists that came before you. This is the Boulder
that awaits the bold tourist!

This “type” of tourist is neither judgmental nor hesitant.
However, they do not beautify the place either because one cannot
simply paint over the ugly parts–just as history cannot be
eradicated from the experiences of people or place. The tourist
should focus on their senses, paying special attention to gestures,
emotions, sounds, and smells. The tourist should not just exist. The
tourist who is listening and learning needs to be present, focusing
on real human interactions, interpretive observations, and the
assemblage of the senses. If the tourist can achieve this state of
arrival, then the true character of this place will reveal
itself—perhaps causing the tourist to re-evaluate preconceived
notions, question the powers that be, and become galvanized.

Article written by: Jobi Berger, BolderLife Project Manager, Filmmaker Liaison, and
coffee shop connoisseur

so imagine my surprise when i done learned different.  it started mostly as rumors, little snippets of excitement about a place that was a throw back to old boulder. boulder before the fast cars and fast money. I didn’t put much stock in it ’til Happy Jack and Mikeymikey started jawing about it. still them two ain’t the most reliable sources.

but when Gunner G tells me about a place he seen with his own eyes, coming down from the shelter (another reason we all be avoiding North Boulder), well i gotta listen. not only that, i gotta go see it for myself. and that’s what I done.

and sure enough, there is a place, next to lucky’s market and logan’s espresso cafe – what we called a coffee shop in my day – a place that looks like an old quonset hut taken from gomer pyle’s tv show… you can look it up if you don’t know the reference, i ain’t wikipedia. the sign above the door read:

nomad

Marque of the Nomad Theater

well you can imagine that would be a place after my own heart. i just had to find out more. and i did. i’ll tell you what i found out in my next installment. when i get around to it. i can hear the boulder creek calling to me…

til then, give to the poor my friends, one day that might be you.

Hell, I’ve even been roped in to help out, and in the process have discovered how much there is to this festival beyond the obvious play on words in its title.   Getting Bolder in Boulder is something I have certainly done over the last few weeks.

Hands are always full as the Festival Director

I have watched the Festival Director, Erin Kelly, and her team co-ordinate and organize a whole host of events that all tie-in to the Bolder Life Festival or “BLF” as the team refers to this event.

There is an incredible amount of passion behind this festival and for an outsider to come in (I’m from Australia), it is incredibly inspiring to see what the BLF team are seeking to create for their local and broader community.

Films are being chosen and screened for their diversity and content, locations are being prepped, programs are being devised, sponsorships packages being put together, licenses applied for, lunches skipped, videos made and kick starter donations requested and hoped for…

There is a dizzying amount of work to be done as the countdown to the Festival begins, but the team has such an aligned goal and sense of purpose that each task I have been asked to assist them with has been an absolute pleasure.

My U.S Visa won’t allow me to stay long enough to see the Festival to fruition this year (unless I can work out an option B to return which is under investigation…) but I know even at this stage (5 weeks out) that my own personal adventure in taking time off work in Australia was both bold and has been already been fruitful because of this Festival.

My contribution has been very much a collaborative effort but it makes me proud to think that on the other side of the world to where my home is, my life has been made richer for having been a small part of a Festival that is something Boulder should be proud to have in its town.

To a Bolder Life.  To the Festival.  Thank You and may it be, all that it can be and more…

So come along between the 19th – 23^rd Sept.  It’s easy and lucky for you, you don’t even need a visa!

Written by; Julia Mathison. jemathison@gmail.com

What kind of people go to the Bolder Life Festival? Thespians YES!  We need Thespians/ Actors who can play their parts with passion. We need writers, directors, cinematographers, costume designers, photographers, and fans of all type that like watching original, local and internationally produced content.

Get on the e-mail chain for our Friday program announcements. There’s something for everyone at Bolder Life!

Article written by, Anthony Prichard, Small business internet marketing consultant for Madlabmg.com