Cohousing-L Mailing List: On being a "go-to person" and relationship to money (was Cost of living after move in)

[Craig Ragland (craigragland]

I experience being one of many go-to persons at Songaia as having costs and
benefits - sometimes, being that go-to person seems just a cost in time and
energy - and, sometimes, in direct personal $ cost.

However, often, when I asked to share of my gifts and am able to help, it
feels great - especially when its someone I care about that is asking. How
to "price" my self-esteem, my gratitude toward being a part of co-care, my
personal empowerment? The joy and ease and comfort that sharing gifts offers
"my" community?

While I sometimes begrudge the costs of color printing, gas/time to give a
ride, time to care for a child. I am so much happier when I just decide to
give and receive without accounting...

I deeply appreciate the primacy of economic thinking and need for some to
account for lots of different things very carefully to "keep them fair,"
that being said, my relationship to money (whether it be in the form of
capital/debt/income/expense/donation) is more to see it as a tool, a
resource to use, a safety net for family. I have been fortunate to be able
to influence the use of a lot of money in many ways - usually in groups.
Often it has helped focus others' attention on what I value. It helps stuff
happen... like formation of a cohousing community, creation of an extensive
food program, growth of the cohousing movement, etc.

Craig Ragland
(wearer of many hats, who will shortly stop writing and go clean the common
house after being reminded by my neighbor)

On Dec 5, 2007 11:49 AM, Kay Argyle <kay.argyle [at] utah.edu> wrote:

>
> ... Except when you become known in the community as the go-to person
>
>