Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: What is the Etiquette?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Aug 4, 2015, at 8:33 AM, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> I’m waiting a bit to see if additional wisdom o the group continues to 
> surface so I can include it.

I would suggest something more casual than “two weeks notice”. Something like 
“Please ask well in advance of your visit so someone will be available to show 
you around." “Tour” is also pretty formal. It makes me feel like a museum with 
guards. 

"A visit will require preparation on our part and 30-60 minutes to show you the 
facilities and answer questions. Please ask well in advance of your visit so 
someone can arrange to be available and prepared.”

Saying things like “we are not a side show” or something similar just confirms 
that someone thinks you are and there is a need to deny it.

I was in a doctor’s office last week in which all the magazines had a sticker 
that said “Do not remove from the waiting area. Patient use only.” Even after a 
good medical consultation, I'm still wondering if I want to go back. Do I want 
to go to a place where people steal so many magazines that it is a problem, or 
a place that attracts people who steal magazines, or a place that is afraid of 
people stealing their magazines.

The focus becomes a medical practice that believes it has to protect itself 
from patients, rather than a place that welcomes patients and considers them 
(on the whole) to be socially responsible.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org