He saved a child in the intersection (an ordinary Friday)

Mountain Khakis asked for a 'random act of kindness.' We were definitely not expecting this!

by Scott Bright

What does it take to be bold? Are a small, select group of individuals simply born with a genetic predisposition towards boldness? Some may say yes. But there are others like me who believe boldness is born in the moment. Within all of us is the seed to greatness. I believe a bold action can rise up from within us at any moment. This was the case for me on an ordinary Friday afternoon in the Mission District of San Francisco.

Friday began much like any other day. I woke up, did a couple stretches, checked my email, made some breakfast, and sat down at my computer to get some work done. Today’s agenda: finish the essay for my graduate school application. I sat around for hours typing and deleting combinations of words and sentences until finally, I had nearly reached perfection. I was exhausted and needed a break.

I decided to take a walk and clear my head. It felt great to be outside in a city surrounded by so much life and movement. I eventually reached an intersection where some construction work was being done. There seemed to be a lot of confusion in the area with cars and bicyclists zigzagging around cones. Some pedestrians navigated their way across the intersection in a manner that was similar to the classic videogame Frogger. Ah...just another day in the city.

I personally never liked Frogger, so I figured I would stay put and wait for the walk light to turn green. While I was waiting, a group of school children arrived next to me. In the distance I heard a siren approaching and could make out some flashing lights. Considering the confusion and noise at the intersection, it was actually very hard to hear the siren.

I watched as an ambulance came tearing down the road at high speed. I thought to myself, that doesn’t seem very safe. As the ambulance approached, a lady across the street started yelling in my direction. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was extremely animated. I had been so distracted that I didn't notice the traffic light had changed and the green walk light flashed on. At this point, I realized one of the schoolchildren had began wandering out into the street!

This is when it happened. The ambulance was nearly to the intersection and had no intention of slowing down. The child walked naively into the street; her head pointed at the ground. Time slowed down. I am not sure where it came from, or if I was even aware of it at the time, but it happened. I became...bold. I reached out and grabbed her backpack and lifted her back onto the sidewalk. I did not know I had such strength. The ambulance whizzed by only moments later.

A tragedy may have been avoided. Some may think this was a heroic effort. I think of myself as just a common man placed in uncommon circumstances. In any case, a bold action occurred.

I have often thought back on the incident and tried to pinpoint exactly what triggered my boldness on that day. Could it have been the essay I was writing, or perhaps the lady who yelled at me from across the street? Or was what I had for breakfast? No, it couldn’t have been any of these things. It was merely a random act of kindness, and a rewarding one at that.

Challenge: Do a Random Act of Kindness
Sponsor: Mountain Khakis [ See All Actions Here ]
Action:  "I grabbed a kid by the shirt and stopped her from crossing an intersection as an ambulance came tearing through a red light at full speed."

The First Bolder Proposal

[ a proposal story written from both perspectives. See the proposal on Bolder here]

From Jon:
I had been looking for a great way to propose and looked into so many different possible times to ask Tina to marry me. We are pretty active people and like outdoor activities, so I began thinking of all the different outdoor places I could ask. We rented snowshoes and were checking out possible places to go with them when I found images of Trillium Lake. I thought that if we got a nice day, the view would be absolutely picturesque, and it would be an amazing place to ask the girl that I loved to be my wife.

Well that day came, and I had the ring in my pocket the whole day. Nerves were high, but at the same time, I was just anxious to know Tina would one day be my wife (provided she said yes of course!). A little way into the hike, we stopped at a spot where Mt Hood was cascading over the snow covered lake. The sky was perfectly clear and there were very few people around.

We stopped to eat a snack, which typically entails me eating twice as fast as she does. Butterflies got the best of my stomach, and so I was not really hungry, which caused her to question why I wasn't eating. I blamed it on an upset stomach, but the whole time my hand was clenched around the ring box, trying to figure out when I was going to pull it out.

Finally, she was ready to begin moving on, and so I decided it was time. She stood up. I stood next to her and pulled out a small circular piece of green paper and handed it to her. I asked if she knew what it was, and she said "no, what is it?" I went on to remind her that on our first anniversary she had given me a series of coupons: including a massage, a dinner at the restaurant where we ate on our first date, and few other things like that. She also made this little, green coupon. It was supposed to be for me to ask one question, any question, and she would give me an absolutely honest answer.

I had kept that coupon. I had it for quite a while. After about three or four years of dating, I decided I would use it to ask her to marry me when the time was right. I kept it in my wallet all that time until this particular day, when it finally came out. I explained that all to her in brief form, and said I would like to cash in on that coupon. I got down on one knee, pulled out her ring, and asked her if she would marry me. She got very excited and said YES, which made the remaining 5 miles of snowshoeing very exciting.

From Tina:
This was actually our first hike around Trillium Lake and Jon's first time snowshoeing! We've been on Mt Hood many times skiing, but we really wanting to try something different. I'm a graduate assistant at Portland State University's Outdoor Program, so we were able to rent snowshoes there. A friend suggested Trillium Lake would be a great location. That morning I woke up feeling really tired and almost canceled the trip, but Jon kept talking about how it was supposed to be such a beautiful day, so I agreed to go.

I had absolutely no idea he was going to propose until about 2 miles into the trip. We stopped for lunch, and he barely ate anything. I thought that was really odd because I was extremely hungry! When I stood up to get going again, he got down on one knee in the snow. I was completely surprised!

It was perfect. Sunny, blue skies, and Mt Hood in the background! We asked some other folks snowshoeing on the same trail to take our picture. They were great - they didn't even know us, but they had us pose several times so they could make sure we had a great picture.

We're really excited to be engaged and are planning to get married somewhere in Oregon next fall. We'd even love to incorporate the outdoors into our wedding! A lot of our relationship has been long distance, so it's really wonderful to be living in the same city and have such amazing opportunities to get outdoors. We are definitely planning to do another snowshoe hike this season and want to continue exploring other areas around Mt. Hood and all around Oregon!

Challenge: Plan an active date
Sponsor: Atayne [ See Challenge Here ]
Action: "Our date was to snowshoe a 5mi trail near Mt. Hood - 1/2 way around with an amazing view in the background my finance proposed! Perfect!"

Proof that documentaries work: A year of organic eating

[Foreword: we thought you'd like to know this very important detail. Lynn just broke her wrist and typed her story one-handed. Talk about Bolder! Feel better Lynn, and thanks for taking the time to type your story]

The Year of Eating Organically
by Lynn

My journey of organic eating began almost a year ago and not in a way one might think. One evening, I saw that the documentary film "Food, Inc." was going to be on our local public television station. I thought "hey, this film got nominated for an Oscar, so I think I'll check it out". When the film came on, I had no clue what I was in for and how it would completely change my life. It opened my eyes to the brutal truth of where our food comes from, and it was not what I expected. From the way the animals are treated on factory farms to the actions of Monsanto, I was so shocked by everything I saw that I decided my family would be eating differently from that moment on. We decided to go completely organic, and we haven't looked back.

Eating organically hasn't always been an easy road. It isn't cheap and there are few options when it comes to eating out, but the good outweighs the bad ten-fold. Since switching to organic food, I've lost 20 pounds, I have a lot more energy and my skin looks healthier and clearer. I've never been much of a cook but since going organic, I've had to get creative in the kitchen and you know what? It's been really fun! I started coming up with my own recipes and cooking up things I thought I'd never try.

To help with food costs, we started going to our local farmer's markets where we've met some of the wonderful people who grow our yummy produce. My husband and I even started growing some of our own organic fruits, veggies and herbs (which turns out is a national trend since the recession). That has been so awesome!

You know what else is awesome about this organic eating experience? The sense of connectedness you have with your food when you've learned about where it comes from and had a hand in creating it. To me, that is the real essence of organic living.

The end.

Challenge: Eat an organic salad today
Sponsor: Earthbound Farm [ See Challenge Here ]
Action: "I make an organic salad everyday w/ spring mix, tomatoes, onions, roasted turkey, shredded parm & olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette dressing!"

Karen M's Vegan Anniversary

By Karen M

After having my second child I weighed over 270 pounds. I knew I had to do something. I started a diet and exercise. I journal-ed every calorie that I ate. I took off over 130 pounds and I kept it off by watching what I ate. Last year I met my boyfriend, Brody. He had been vegan for over 5 years. He thought it was very silly that I watched my diet so closely but actually ate food that was not good for me. He explained that people are mislead by only looking at calories, fat, and fiber...He showed me food labels and I was shocked! I started doing some research and found it disgusting that the FDA allows blood and puss to be in the milk I was giving my children. I learned about gelatin being made from animals. BUT, my main concern as I began the journey was the chemicals that I do not need to consume. Half of the things on food labels, I could not even pronounce!

So, it has been over a year now. I can not even begin to explain how GREAT I feel. I have kept all of my weight off without even looking at calories and fat!!! There are soooo many wonderful products on the market that make going vegan easy. Sunshine burgers are wonderful, and are not filled with soy.

It is funny that my only challenges have come from other people. "What do you eat?" "Aren't you starving?" "Don't you miss cheese?" "How do you get your protein?" I have 2 children and believe me, I have to be able to please them at dinner time as well! We enjoy pizza, but with Daiya cheese. No one ever goes hungry at our house! We are so lucky to live in Columbus OH, where the vegan community is supported. We have a bar that serves an all vegan bar menu! Have you ever had deep-fried avocados? Hal and Al's Bar on Parsons Ave has everything from Vegan corn-dogs to sushi---ALL VEGAN! I love that I can go to a vegan salon and not worry about all the nasty chemicals being dumped in my water supply. Thanks Virtue Salon on High Street!

I hope that my story inspires others to take a look at their food labels. Research where your food comes from. I hope that people explore their community to find other people passionate about the environment, who are saying they aren't too small to make a difference! You can make a difference and it feels so AWESOME! Thank you for challenging people Bolder!

Challenge: Eat only plant-based whole foods for a weekend

Sponsor: Sunshine Burgers [ See Challenge Here ]

Action: "2011 is my anniversary of going VEGAN... ONE year down, and a lifetime ahead! Goal this year is to start cutting SOY!"

Small changes, huge impact - Jessica A transforms her life battle into a personal mantra

By Jessica A

As a recent breast cancer survivor I am especially aware of what I'm putting in and on my body. I've been researching herbal and all-natural personal care products lately. Around the holidays I decided to try making my own moisturizer. Using an old kitchen blender I mixed up two 13 ounce jars full of rich, emollient cream. I gave one as a gift and kept the other; I use it daily! If you would like to make your own, please see my recipe below.

Since making the moisturizer, I've made liquid hand soap, all-purpose scrub, and an all-purpose cleaner. All from natural ingredients. My family is now almost 100% free of toxic chemicals. We are eating all-natural foods, using all-natural products, and wasting almost nothing. We dispose of one bag of trash per week and the rest is recyclable/compostable. I've learned a few small changes can have a huge impact on my family's health and eventually, the health of my community and the world.

Recipe:
2 ounces beeswax
1 cup sweet almond oil
1 cup water
10 drops essential oil

Keep in mind, as you make this, it's thick...like, scrape-it-up-with-your-fingernails-to-apply-it-thick. Heat the beeswax and sweet almond oil until the wax melts. In another container, heat the water until warm. Both mixtures should be warm, not hot! Pour the warm water into your blender and replace the lid. While running the blender on HIGH, slowly pour in the beeswax-oil mixture. You will notice the mixture thickening. Add your essential oil and continue mixing to desired thickness. I used rosemary oil. Rosemary oil is an antiseptic and kills bacteria, as my cream was initially to be used as hand cream I thought those were good properties. Since making it, I've begun using it as an all-over moisturizer and it works wonderfully.

Challenge: Switch to natural skin care
Sponsor: Weleda [ See Challenge Here ]
Action: "I made homemade moisturizer from beeswax, sweet almond oil, water & rosemary essential oil--it's wonderful!"

Not Born to Run: Ben C's Road To Finishing His 1st Marathon

by Ben Crosby

This fall I read Born to Run and was enthralled with the author’s struggle to reconcile his body type with the ultra-athletes he profiled. McDougall is not your “typical” skinny-runner type at 6’4” and 220 lbs, and I was surprised in the way he explored running as more mental preparation than physical exercise. I’ve got a definite love/hate thing going with running myself; after a brief stint as a long jumper in middle school, I’ve never done much besides the occasional cross-training jog. Still, there has also always been something romantic about just throwing on a pair of shoes and going out to get a big gulp of exercise around the neighborhood.

This fall I decided to jump on board when a few other teachers at my school told me they were training for a marathon. The distances look intimidating at first, but it was amazing how following a gradual program (and making a sweet ipod playlist) got me ready to run 26. I definitely had my fair share of knee and tendon pain along the way, especially acute in the month leading up to the run. I thought about bailing (who hasn’t tried to balance fear of failure with the risk of chronic injury?), but ultimately decided to go for it.

Race day was exhilarating, and nerve-wracking. I was hesitant about even showing up at the starting line due to my lingering Achilles injuries and my worry that I would have to *gasp* quit. However, as soon as the start whistle blew, I knew I’d make it. The sense of purpose as 3000 people all set off running with a singular goal (to keep going!) was overwhelming. I chugged water, poached GU packets other runners had inadvertently dropped, and played numbers games to no end as the mile markers ticked up to 26. The breadth of athletes and body types was inspiring; I saw teens, dads, grandmothers, and no end of amateurs like me trotting along in their race-day best.

Crossing the finish line felt amazing; my time wasn’t record setting by any means, but I knew I’d caught the marathon bug. I’m training for the SF Marathon in July with some friends who will be running their first marathons. Can't wait to keep making fitness gains with my friends!

Challenge: Share your Eco/Active resolutions for 2011

Sponsor: Atayne [ See Challenge Here ]

Action: "I ran my first marathon last month...my goal is to to shave 30 minutes off my time for the next one!"

LOST: The TV show or the sit-down dinner?

It's a dreary, cold winter night. A delicious pot of gypsy soup sits simmering on the stove, just waiting to bring warmth to the soul. It also serves another purpose - as a centerpiece - to bring together friends for conversation and merriment. So what's missing? Unfortunately, the people are.

That is the scene that Erica M described to us when she completed the Sunshine Burger challenge. But don't fret for Erica. She ended up eating with a friend; however, it was not the dinner party she had originally envisioned.

Erica has found it tough to get her friends to the table. Not surprisingly, she has found TV to be the best motivator for collecting her group (what does this say about old-fashioned company or delicious soup on a winter night?). Erica says, "I have only had successful dinner parties when people get together for new episodes of LOST!"

Is this an isolated case or does it say something larger about our inability to pause for dinner with friends and family? Erica thinks, "It is a crazy, fast-paced world. With texting and Facebook, it's easy to feel like we are in constant contact. We become so busy and hectic that even young people (my friends are mostly 19-21) with the least responsibilities (salaried job & no kids) can't respect a real sit-down dinner."

Do families fair better than young people? Interestingly enough, family sit-down dinners have been on the rise in recent years, perhaps because of a simple awareness- that our busy lives are invading our real time together. It appears, real effort is being exerted to get the family to the table. For example, some are taking every family member's schedule and making a calendar for dinners. Wow!

So, do you find yourself struggling to sit down with your friends and family for a real dinner? Erica has some fantastic ideas for helping with that:

1. Awareness - "Remember to use our virtual tools (FB, texting, etc) as intermediate reminders, not replacements, for person-to-person relations"

2. Plan - "Get it on the calendar and stick to it."

3. Share the Care - "I would say the most important thing about getting together with people is letting them know you care."

4. If your goal is to meet new people, find a local food community like Cafe Selma (Ann Arbor) in your hometown. Erica describes Cafe Selma, "imagine knowing every week you have a place to go for delicious food, good company, intellectual stimulation, and all sorts of warmth. Cafe Selma, to me, is all that and more."

Or if none of those work for you, just wait for a new episode of LOST.

Good luck. Let us know what's working for you!

[This post is based on Erica M's top-voted action for the Sunshine Burger challenge "cook dinner for a group of friends." Quotes are taken from her response to us]

Turning the Corner With a Salad? Boo J's Health Journey

Challenge: Add leafy greens to a meal
Sponsor: Purely Elizabeth [ See Challenge Here ]
Action: Been a while since I've logged on. As a kid I hated greens. This challenge is a good reminder of what I should've been doing years ago.

Boo's Thoughts:
First off I'd like to say that I found Bolder right at the time when I really started taking my health seriously. Although the rewards from the challenges provide a great incentive, I participate in them because it helps me keep on track.

The "Add Leafy Greens to A Meal" caught my eye because growing up I just did not like the taste of vegetables. I was that kid who excused himself to go to the bathroom, just so I could spit up my vegetables. I never had a taste for vegetables and cruised into my adulthood without eating a whole lot of them.

Last year my health came into question and I had to make a decision on how I wanted to live my life. Change my diet and add cardiovascular exercise to my routine or risk getting high-blood pressure and pancreatitis. If I couldn't change things, I was told that I would be put on medication, which I did not want. I knew that my condition could be regulated if not reversed, without the use of pharmaceuticals. The first moment I had, I borrowed my brother's bike and started riding as much as possible. My diet also had to change. So I cut down on fried foods and began incorporating whole grains. Most importantly, being an adult, I put aside my childish prejudice towards vegetables and started making and buying salads.

I didn't try anything new greens for the challenge, but I am opening up to the prospect of new vegetable combinations. My sister makes a great salad with arugula figs and cherry tomatoes. A friend of mine is really big on chia, so I'd like to make a salad that incorporates that.

My health journey has taught me a bunch of things. One thing that comes to mind is that it is possible to turn things around and the littlest thing, like eating a salad can be the one thing that helps you turn that corner.

It's not impossible, unhealthy, or weird! - Stepahanie S on turning vegetarian (top-voted action)

Challenge: Share your boldest moment of 2010
Sponsor: Bolder
Action: Becoming a vegetarian and actively explaining to others that's it not impossible, unhealthy, or weird. It's an everyday moment!

My husband and I had been making little changes to our diets for about 2 years. We were trying to get into shape and learn healthier habits. We made small, gradual changes, one at a time. First we cut down our portion sizes, then cut out fast food. Our decision to become vegetarians was an understated moment. About 6 months ago, we were talking about food and meat manufacturing and basically just asked out loud why weren't we vegetarians yet? Initially, we were both concerned about health issues. There's a lot of rumors that you can't survive without the meat, and you can't get enough protein and fat. Some simple research debunked those theories pretty quickly and we decided to take the plunge.

We took about a month to transition, which was very helpful. When we started, we were already eating 1-2 meatless meals a week. I rarely ate meat for breakfast or lunch, so it wasn't that difficult of a switch. We did have some leftover meat that we didn't want to go to waste, so we finished what we had. Then we began buying meatless entrées at restaurants and for home-cooked meals. It actually got to the point where I didn't feel like eating meat anymore and I was forcing myself to finish it not to waste money.

As we switched, the hardest part was comparing meals. I would make a recipe that was excellent with meat and it would be terrible without meat. Don't get me wrong, there are so many great foods that you can enjoy as vegetarians! But as a former meat eater, vegetarian meat replacements aren't the same. They are tasty, and in some cases, better tasting. But, comparison to their meat counterparts will just lead to disappointment.

I think the best tip I could give any future vegetarians is know what you're doing it for. I switched for ethical reasons as well as health reasons. Once you tell people you are a vegetarian, they will question each and every reason you have. You have to be solid on them and not waver. Be informed!! When I can give actual studies and solid information to back up my reasons, people are amazed! This is also how I have overcome the perceptions that people have. I have had people tell me it's weird that I'm vegetarian. I think people just don't understand the vegetarian culture, and so they think it's weird. This isn't helped when vegetarians don't bother explaining themselves or worse, get defensive.

When people ask me questions (even the dreaded "what can you eat?"), even though they can get old, I'm excited to explain that it's not weird. We eat pizza, we eat burritos, we eat normal food, just without the meat. Lastly, try to be understanding with your friends and family. It can be frustrating when your family isn't willing to go one meal without meat. Most of this is because of a lack of knowledge. They think they need the protein or that anything vegetarian is just weird. So just be polite and with time, maybe they'll come around. But always remember that this was your decision, not theirs.