Cohousing-L Mailing List: coffee shop community and smelling the roses

[C2pattee (C2pattee]

I, too, am very much a 'doer' in Greater Hartford's budding cohousing group, 
and I've found so many of the threads on this list to be both interesting and 
useful.  However, when I think about what I want from co-housing, after all 
the fun of 'doing' is over, it's just what John and Lynn have described.  
Thanks to those of you who take the time to share smelling the roses with us.

> 
>  Date: Sun, 30 Apr 00 07:16:52 -0700
>  From: Lynn Nadeau <welcome [at] olympus.net>
>  To: "cohousing L" <cohousing-l [at] freedom.mtn.org>
>  Subject: Re: coffee shop community
>  Message-ID: <E12luS3-0006c7-00 [at] olympus.net>
>  
>  What John Greene has expressed (about enjoying a feeling of community 
>  even though not participating much)  certainly is true for me--- despite 
>  the fact that I am one of those who are very involved in the "doing" 
>  aspects of this community. We are all nurtured by knowing it's there. 
>  
>  If we are busily involved with the daily interactions of gardening, 
>  dining, committees, etc., we are still having that experience at another 
>  level: we also know "it's there" should we have a physical or emotional 
>  crisis. Like a child who runs and plays and never looks back, knowing a 
>  parent is "there", we are given the security of knowing that others are 
>  potentially there for us, in case we need them in a more urgent way.  
>  Like the office workers who grind out their work in a cubicle near their 
>  co-workers, we know that sooner or later we will get a break and 
>  socialize. That's very different from knowing there is not social support 
>  there even if we want it. People even feel better knowing they have some 
>  GOLDFISH alive in their home! Most of us are not deeply solitary. 


Christine Pattee
Greater Hartford CT Cohousing
c2pattee [at] aol.com