Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Frustration in Forming Community

[Saoirse (ccharis]

On 5/26/04 12:15 PM, "rdbeckia [at] io.com" <rdbeckia [at] io.com> wrote:

> Naturally, you will want areas where people joining can put their stamp on
> the community. You will need that, if you want to attract other leaders.
> Building an intentional community is a lot of work, and you'll need more
> than 2 people with leadership tendencies to keep things going.

>From a person who's lived in cohousing for 7 years and who has been one of
the "leaders," I think this statement is soooooooo true. It stands out for
me because I USED to think people would "step up to the plate" when they
were ready, when their lives were less busy, when this particular crisis in
their lives would settle down, etc., etc. What I've learned is that everyone
has to have a slice of the "responsibility pie" from the beginning. Not
equal, because nothing is ever equal. But fair. A big enough slice to
recognize that life in comm'ty is more like a barnraising than a picnic. We
feel good about what we've accomplished when we work together, but it's
still a fair bit of hard work. And at some point and in some form, we have
to be available for/to that.


Saoirse

-- 
Harmony Village Cohousing
Golden, Colorado
http://www.harmonyvillage.org