Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Diveristy in Cohousing: Limitations of Chores

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> Sharon, if people don't have the time to do the "chores" why in the
> world are they living in co-housing? jp

Are "chores" essential to cohousing?

Participation (showing up) and sharing with neighbors are central because
that is what builds community all the definitions I've seen. The concept of
community, _is_ essential to cohousing but are chores the only way to build
community?

And if so, which chores? Is it essential that all the landscaping be done by
residents? If not, which parts?

All the cooking? We have Pizza Fridays which is becoming a community
favorite. We order out, bring our own drinks, and us paper towels. Some
bring their own trays from home (the grilled salmon crowd). The clean up
consists of throwing out the boxes and wiping off the tables, if necessary.
Does that count as building community?

We contributed funds for a single mother expecting twins to have a night
nurse for two weeks. Does that count toward building community?

Requiring chores limits cohousing to those who have or wish to have time to
do more chores than they already do. That may be an essential part of what
cohousing is, but it limits cohousing in ways I'm not sure are necessary.

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


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