Re: Boston
From: Dave and Diane (daveanddeeverizon.net)
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:07:45 -0700 (PDT)
Hello all,

This is a message to let you all know we are fine at Jamaica Plain Cohousing, the only cohousing community located right in the city of Boston. We spent a good half hour processing the Marathon bombings at the general meeting on Sunday. There were some potential close calls. One of our residents had a family tradition of meeting near the finish line and for some reason they didn't do that this year, and that quirk of fate prevented them from being near the bombings.

But what I want to talk to you today is about the nature of Community, and how the Boston Marathon is related to that. I received an email this week from a colleague, to the effect of: what was it like to live in a police state this past week. Let me tell you this thing: living in Boston this past week was more like living in community than anything I have ever seen in my 36 years in this city.

To understand what I am saying, you need to understand the nature of the Boston Marathon. It is not just a foot race. It is not merely one of the most challenging athletic competitions in the world. It is not simply a test of human endurance. It is all those things. It is also a place where the entire city, all of the suburbs, and people from around the world come to witness and support the human spirit. There is a wheelchair race before the regular marathon. There are the world- class runners who are there to compete, and then there are the ordinary people who are there to raise money for a friend who has cancer, their local school, or a non profit organization.

So the assault on the Marathon was more than a random attack on an athletic event. It was a personal affront to everyone in the city, everyone in the race, everyone in the entire greater Boston metropolitan area.

The Boston Marathon is a temporary community, but it is a community of people that come together to celebrate this rite of spring, cheer on the racers, and raise money for a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. It is Boston's "Mardi Gras."

No one said we HAD to stay home--(except for Watertown). But when the "shelter in place" advisory went out the word spread quickly. The roads were deserted. And there is no better place to be in a "lockdown" than in cohousing. People hung out in the courtyard, had lunch together, played games, got together for meetings, and in general, had a wonderful time together in community. My husband and I had been planning to go on the meditation retreat but our ride fell through because our potential driver had a guest who couldn't get home due to the MBTA shutdown. So I decided to print up visitor parking passes and distribute them in the mailroom and I met a neighbor who was headed out to a retreat in our general area and gave us a ride. Another Cohousing Moment!

The last of the (alleged) perpetrators was captured Friday night. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis was greeted like a rock star at Fenway Park. The people of Watertown, despite being kept indoors for an entire day, brought pizza, lasagna, cupcakes, and flowers to police headquarters. Far from being the enemy, the police were greeted as heroes for capturing the bombers and helping to preserve a vital Boston tradition. In our efforts to find the malefactors, we were all united.

The events of this past week have given us all a great deal to think about. And one of these things is this: How much am I willing to give up to preserve this great community that is Boston? I think about this every day.

Diane Simpson
Outreach Facilitator
JP Cohousing  617-522-2209
65 Cornwall Street Boston MA
http://www.jpcohousing.org
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
"The people who surround you define the quality of your life."

On Wed, 17 Apr 2013, at 8:00 AM, Catya Belfer <catya [at] pobox.com> wrote:

Jim, I'm so glad that they are doing OK - thanks for letting us know.

     - cat

Catya Belfer   -  www.catya.org
Technical Director   -   www.cohousing.org
Cohousing in MA - www.mosaic-commons.org


On Tue, Apr 16, 2013 at 9:53 PM, Jim Snyder-Grant <jimsg [at] newview.org> wrote:


We had 4 runners from New View. All are OK, and their families as well. One made it just a few minutes before the blast - her family was nearby, and
they are processing it all OK.

Jim Snyder-Grant
Home: 978 266-9409
Cell: 508 572-2985
18 Half Moon Hill
Acton MA 01720




  • Boston, (continued)
    • Boston Catya Belfer, April 15 2013
    • Re: Boston Dave and Diane, April 22 2013

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