Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing and social support

[Bitner/Stevenson (lilbert]

Here's a good cohousing story for those of you who may need a little 
inspiration.

Last week, my family and I went to Las Vegas for a short holiday and to meet
up with my in-laws. We had a fun time, but on the last night, Friday, I
sprained my ankle. It was pretty embarrassing being rolled to my room by a
rent-a-cop. We were leaving the next day, so I decided not to seek medical
attention in Vegas.  The airport-and-rental-car-return fiasco that followed
is another story, but suffice it to say that I was extremely glad to get
home.

The real story starts here, as we pulled into the driveway. Meg was washing
her car with Laurisa's kids, with whom she had just been camping. She asked
what happened, and I told her she'd better get Laurisa for me, since it was
pretty bad. Laurisa is a Physicians Assistant, and a gifted one at that. She
was at my house within minutes, examined my ankle, and gave me a wonderful
appliance to stabilize my ankle that had been given to her by another
cohouser who had had a sprained ankle last year. (Laurisa's house is a sort
of repository for medical supplies, and is another way cohousing is very
useful.) She told me I needed an x-ray. Bummer, since it was Saturday and I
just got a new insurance plan and didn't have a regular doctor yet. But no
problem, since her office took my kind of insurance and had in-house x-ray
and is open on Saturdays. They normally don't take any new patients on
Saturday, but a call from Laurisa got me in. I was home within two hours.
Both the doctor and Laurisa were surprised that my ankle was not broken,
which gives you an idea of the severity of the sprain.

Another friend, sister of the aforementioned former sprained ankle sufferer,
brought flowers from her garden, and another brought dinner for my family
that night!

I should emphasize that , while not an everyday occurrence, this is not in
any way unusual, and it only occurred to me to write about it after reading
my coho email.

 I am now going off to work, which I honestly don't think I would be able to
face if I didn't have cohousing to come home to.
--
Liz Stevenson
Southside Park Cohousing