The “New” West
Now let's talk about the "New" West. Yesterday I volunteered for the Aspen Brain Lab event here in Aspen. It was an honor to be a part of such an exeptional event – on so many levels. And in many ways a refreshing contrast to my previous experiences with similar events in Atlanta.
The speakers at the event were top-notch, combining experts who live here (at least part of the time) with brilliant minds coming in from all over the country. Here's a list of speakers and topics. http://www.aspenbrainlab.com/speakers/. To be fair, Atlanta also has a lot of events with leading minds as well. Yet I didn't go to them as often as I probably should, for a number of reasons, mainly relating to safety and convenience.
How refreshing (in a very literal sense) it is to be able to attend such an amazing event!
One of the first distinctions was the venue. A week or so ago, I had been to a "Mind, Body, Spirit" talk at a nearby venue, Paepcke Auditorium, which was also lovely. Both intimate and spacious.
The Aspen Brain Lab was at the Doerr-Hosier Center. As a prolific speaker and facilitator, I have delivered hundreds of events at all kinds of different venues, and I can say beyond any doubt that the Doerr-Hosier Center would have been by far my favorite place. Beautiful and open with inspiring, yet not distracting views and incredible use of light. Ahhh! This photo was taken from one of the balconies just outside the meeting room. Ahhh! Fresh, mountain air!
It is both a dream and a goal to facilitate a future event at this location. To be able to share my expertise in innovative, interactive learning and self-development exploration with the open hearts and brilliant minds of Aspen.
Soon, I vow. Soon.
To learn more about the architecture of the Doerr-Hosier center, and a little more about the Aspen Institute, see the video below:
The other difference from Atlanta was the convenience. It took me – get this – 7 minutes to get there. Seven minutes! In Atlanta it would have taken me 7 minutes to go less than a mile! To get to a similar event, I would have had to allow 90 minutes to get there. And unless the event was during the day and ended before dark, I would probably not have gone alone out of concern for my for my own safety. Yet here in Aspen I can feel free to explore "after dark" alone without worry.
I remember a Sex & The City episode where Carrie decides to "date" her true love – New York City. I guess, in a way, I'm doing the same thing. So, yes, the love story continues with my newly adopted town.