Sometimes you just need a giggle!

Life can be stressful… I don’t think anyone would deny that statement. With a dog post-ACL surgery waiting for me at home in a cone (which she hates!), the expenses and stresses of moving to a new town, and what seemed to be a slew of lame things happening to my friends weighing on my mind, I was walking home from work one evening when I passed the Bozeman Center for the Arts and noticed a strategic piece of graffiti that brought a smile to my face. Someone had spray painted a ‘F’ in front of the word ‘Arts’ on the sign outside the building so that the sign read “Bozeman Center of the Farts”. Immature – yes. Vandalism – also true. Funny – without a doubt! I found myself laughing the rest of the way home, and

MAN IT FELT GOOD

. For me, sometimes I just need a good laugh to help turn my mind and my day around, and I know the others on the Board of Directorsfor Outdoor Mindset feel the same way. That is actually one of our main values

we wanted preserve when creating Outdoor Mindset, to incorporate humor in all that what we do. We want to make people laugh and smile, despite any other neurological craziness going on in their lives. Sometimes we can be quirky… would anyone agree with that? I mean have you seen the video we submitted for the

Cultivate Wines Non-Profit video contest, The Give

(Oh yeah, and also, please vote for us here every day from now until June 30th so we can win some moolah to spend on our Members!) I don’t think you could NOT crack a smile when a suited up Kyle Martin comes rolling down the road towards the camera and then almost runs right into the thing (right at the 1:15 mark for anyone who may have missed it. Your welcome, Kyle.)

So please, try to have a giggle. Sometimes you can’t just go out and find it when you need it, so let it find you, too. No matter what’s going on in your day, in your week, or even in your BRAIN, try to find a smile or some laughter somewhere out there because I promise it’s going to make you feel better.

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

- E.E. Cummings (<< See, it's not just me that thinks so... this famous guy backs me up)

Laughing all the way,

Jill

The Beginning

A few months ago, our good friend Kyle went to the doctor because he was experiencing some symptoms that just didn't seem right. This led him to an MRI and the eventual discovery of an abnormality in his brain that is most likely a type of benign tumor. In the time between his doctor's appointment and his MRI results, Kyle looked to the internet for information and found no shortage of research and white papers about neurological disorders. What he didn't find was the answer to his biggest question: Regardless of the diagnosis, would he still be able to lead an active, adventurous life?

In the months following his initial MRI, Kyle envisioned an organization that could help people facing neurological challenges connect with others in the outdoors while helping one another through their new post-diagnosis lives. He pulled together a diverse group of people from around Colorado to make his vision a reality.

Since January, we have been meeting regulary to define our vision, mission, values, and by-laws that govern our organization. We have also formed volunteer committees to focus in areas of finance, organizational development, and marketing.

On this journey, we reached a major waypoint last night. We held our first official board meeting at Cantina Laredo in Boulder to vote on our organization's name, affirm board members, and elect an executive committee. Being a part of any company's start up always has defining moments that are funny, exciting, and moving. Last night was all of those things. Funny because we are office-less and meeting in a Mexican restaurant, opening the meeting with each board member's favorite joke, and "knighting" our new officers with steak knives. It was exciting because we finally agreed on our name - Outdoor Mindset, approved our by-laws, affirmed our board of 12 members, and voted on the plan for phase 1 of our website. But most of all, last night was moving because we got to see Kyle's vision and all of our hard work shape up into something very real.

We know that our work has only just begun and are excited to share our journey with you. And so, without further ado...

OUR DREAM SUMMIT/BIG FISH/POWDER DAY:
An active community of individuals affected by neurological challenges leading adventurous lives with no limits.

OUR PATH/ROUTE/TRACK:
We unite and inspire people affected by neurological challenges to live big through a common passion for outdoor adventure.

OUR GEAR:

• Cultivating an online community that connects people based on their diagnosis and outdoor interests.
• Promoting a support network that encourages sharing experiences, resources, and information.
• Supporting regional events and adventure programs to strengthen connections and encourage  healing of the body, mind and spirit.

OUR VALUES:

• Quality of life - we believe in living our best lives, connecting with the outdoors and finding opportunity in adversity
• Proactiveness - we believe in taking initiative, staying informed and creating change
• Community - we believe in an open-minded environment where we learn from and support each other
• Inspiration - we live and work in a way that promotes optimism, creativity and fun
• Accountability - we believe in taking ownership of our lives
• Integrity - we believe in honesty, ethics and transparency
• Passion - we exude energy and enthusiasm, and play hard
• Humor - we believe laughter is the best medicine