Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: 20 yrs [ from Liz Magill 20yr ]

[Elizabeth Magill (pastorlizm]

I must say that I'm amazed that I am a frequent poster... (not amazed that I 
talk a lot, I guess) and that the coho list is 20 years old.

I am amazed because I think of myself as a "newcomer" and I started in Mosaic 
Commons Cohousing in 2001... so its been 12 years!! Holy moly. Only 4 years 
since move-in, though.

While in development I bought that cohousing would be better than a traditional 
neighborhood, but honestly only because I thought it would be good to know my 
neighbors, and i knew I wouldn't do that in a traditional neighborhood. 
Oh, and I believed it would be better because we'd have meals and I don't cook.

In fact my experience post move-in has been MUCH bigger and better than 
anything I imagined. I had a car accident and people came to help me recover. 
I've had tragedy in my family and people came sit beside me. I need lunches 
made for my "day-job" and people in my community volunteer. The neighbors kids 
are part of my life. My small "just close friends" wedding turned out to reach 
200 people in our common house. Really, its been amazing.

It has also been harder than anything I could prepare for. Others have had 
tragedies and I know them too well to see it as anything less than tragedy. 
People need help, and not always when I have the energy or space to provide it. 
People say and do unkind, unnecessary, unthoughtful, and unjust things. Gossip 
runs amuck.
Also, I volunteer for more than I have time for. I care about issues that don't 
affect me. I see things that could be done better. It can all be very 
exhausting.

Mosaic Commons is still developing; I don't know yet if we'll pass over that 
mark that makes us know and relate at that next deeper level, or if we'll just 
be really good neighbors. 
But I love that we are on this journey together and can make a difference in 
each others lives.

I love this list, we turn to it for information on just about any issue that 
arises. 

Thank you all for the journey you've made ahead of us, and for those of you who 
are asking new questions and old questions in new ways.

By the way, I hate that I have to make a text only message into plain text in 
order for the message to go to you all. Hate it simply because I forget it all 
the time, and can't do it on my phone or ipad.

-Liz
(The Rev.) Elizabeth M. Magill
www.worcesterfellowship.org
www.mosaic-commons.org
508-450-0431
2 and 3 BR homes available! Come join us www.sawyerhill.org/40B


> 
> Hello "frequent poster" to Cohousing-L sometime in the last 20 years,
> 
> The Cohousing-L mailing list / discussion is 20 years old.
> This message is going to about 150 "frequent posters" who have
> posted to Cohousing-L 25 or more times in those 20 years.
> The list's "Info page" is at:  http://cohousing.org/cohousing-L
> 
>