Cohousing-L Mailing List: Slow Days

[Rachael Shapiro (rachael]

> Here's an exciting experiment we are trying at EcoVillage Ithaca 
> Cohousing in response to the complexity of community life here (as 
> well as life in America 2006). We'd love to hear of other such 
> community experiments and how they are going.
> Elan & Rachael Shapiro
>
> "SLOW DAYS"
>
> Goals:
> … Gradually balance our busy, hyperproductive community culture (and 
> larger culture) by creating shared support for a culture that nurtures 
> and sustains.
> … Bring more balance, simplicity, quality-of-life-focus, leisure, 
> relaxation & regeneration, connection (self, nature, family, 
> neighbors, intergenerational, etc), presence, play, fun, and 
> celebration into our shared culture.
> … Be in solidarity with the growing number of "slow" movements around 
> the world ("Slow Food", "Slow Cities", "Slow Sex", etc.) that aim to 
> reverse the rapidly accelerating pace of life and focus on the quality 
> of our connections. (See reference below) 
>
> What it is: A once a month EXPERIMENT on a specific weekend day, for 1 
> or 2 months, in which we choose as a community to have no meetings, no 
> expected email communication, and to minimize (or eliminate!) computer 
> and car use. It would NOT be expected that everyone would need to 
> consense upon or engage in Slow Day, but that many, hopefully large 
> numbers, of people in the community would honor it.
>  Slow Day is intended to foster Personal Regeneration AND Community 
> Connection through a sense of personal and shared, unstructured Free 
> Time in which nurturing, unhurried, spontaneous activities and rest 
> can occur. Activity suggestions could also be announced on blackboards 
> in each neighborhood. This could also include physically oriented 
> community projects/work parties (painting, knitting, planting, etc). 
> Planning and design would be kept to a minimum to support an 
> atmosphere of simplicity and ease.
>
>  When: SAT MAY 20 looks like the only option in May. (June 24 looks 
> best for the next month) Ideally they would alternate between 
> Saturdays and Sundays. Song members at the last Song meeting voiced 
> concerns (see below) and strongly supported this experiment.
>
> Who is proposing this: A collection of people from Song, Frog and VA 
> process steering teams, the Song Conflict Team, and the Energy 
> Conservation Team,
>
>  <<<<>>>>><<<><><><>>>>><<<<<<>>>>><<<>>>>><<<<<>>>><<<<<>>>>
>
>  SOME Q's and A's, based on Concerns people have expressed.
>
>  Q. Can it really work?  Won't there always be a great activity in 
> town, like the big Plant Sale on May 20, that will pull people away 
> from a Slow Day back home?
>
>  A. Good point. The lures to drive off to high quality activities are 
> quite compelling in our area. And it's great to be able to say "No" to 
> exciting events in town and change the pace by having more non-routine 
> time at home.  But we CAN also be intentional and clear about going 
> out to an activity and still keeping the spirit of Slow Day both there 
> and when we come back home.  Imagine going to the Plant Sale and 
> approaching it with a sense of leisure and unhurried connection, maybe 
> accepting that you won't get quite as much effective shopping 
> accomplished that way. Then imagine coming back to Ecovillage the rest 
> of the day, not using your computer or car, and sharing unscheduled 
> gardening and other nurturing experiences with family and neighbors 
> during that time. That would be pretty different for most of us. This 
> whole experiment will require both flexibility and clarity of purpose, 
> given the complexity of our lives, but what a nice thing to be 
> "working on" together!
>
>  Q. I am pretty good at managing my own rhythm of work, rest, and 
> play. If I feel I need to stay busy on the declared Slow Day, I am 
> concerned that I will feel judged by others as violating a community 
> norm. Can't we just promote the idea of all taking a Slow Day and let 
> people do it on any day that they chose?
>
>  A. Slow day is a voluntary community process that doesn't require 
> that everyone play the same game, just that a large enough number of 
> people do so on the same day so that we can change the atmosphere here 
> in a wonderful way. Hopefully, if you want to stay busy on Slow Day, 
> you could still feel the good energy coming from your relaxing 
> neighbors.
>
>  Q. Why can't we do it EVERY week? We certainly need it
>
>  A. When you look carefully on the calendar of what we do on most 
> weekends and what worthy projects we are already in the middle of, and 
> our degree of embeddedness in the larger culture, it will be a big 
> step to do it just once a month as a group. For people who fervently 
> hope that we do it more often, think of this as an experiment and 
> inspiration to whet our appetites for more and to consider some deeper 
> changes in our priorities and lifestyles. Also, if you're inspired, 
> take a Slow Day two or more times a month that will undoubtedly 
> benefit not only you but also the rest of us.
>
>  Q. I am concerned that without meetings and email, people will leave 
> community stuff behind and just focus on catching up on their own 
> thing, which would make me very sad.
>
>  A. Part of Slow Day IS to catch up with ourselves (and family, and 
> the natural world) in response to an endlessly busy and 
> overstimulating world. So naturally, personal regeneration and 
> unstructured R&R will occur, but we are confident that people will 
> also use the time to catch up with neighbors - of all ages - in 
> relaxed and meaningful ways.
>
> Q.  With a full-time day job during the week and lots of community 
> commitments, I am concerned that the Slow Day will limit my ability to 
> meet with people to further projects that I enjoy doing. And if  I 
> want to get some business done, won't I have to be concerned not to 
> ask for stuff from people on Slow Days?
>
>  A. This kind of legitimate concern is the reason why we are proposing 
> this as a once a month experiment, to be evaluated after two months. 
> Hopefully, if people like what happens, they can discuss what it would 
> take to do this more often and still further - and even enhance - our 
> community priorities.
>
>   Q. Seems like putting in "work parties" is still defeating the 
> purpose of "down time".
>
>  A. For many who have been talking about this, physically oriented 
> work parties with neighbors can feel like a joyous relief from desk 
> work, driving, shopping, computers, meetings, isolated work or family 
> life, etc. So it does not seem helpful to exclude this as a source of 
> community connection on slow days. This would be an interesting item 
> to discuss as a group. (PS. For me, the outcome of "slow" is more 
> about "natural flow " time than "down" time.)
>
>  <><><><><>><><>>>>>>>><><>
>
>  Reference: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1087
> Fall 2004 Issue: Can We Live Without Oil?
> IN PRAISE OF SLOWNESS: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the 
> Cult of Speed
> by Carl Honoré
> Is our current infatuation with speed inefficient?  Has speed reduced 
> all value? Does it destroy relationships and community? Increase fear? 
> Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
>
>  In his delightful, surprising, inspiring-and subversive-new book, In 
> Praise of Slowness, Canadian journalist Carl Honoré explores these 
> issues and more. The Slow Cities movement means urban planning and 
> architecture that encourage walking, mingling and smelling the 
> roses-and brilliant but simple stuff like staggering starting times 
> for school and work. Slower living builds community, which creates a 
> sense of belonging and calms people down. In other words, it reduces 
> fear-and probably crimeŠŠŠŠŠŠŠŠŠ..
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Elan Shapiro
>  Sustainable Living Associates
>  and Frog's Way B&B
>  211 Rachel Carson Way
>  Ithaca, NY 14850
>  607-275-0249
>     "We must be the change we want to see in the world"
>                   Mohandas Gandhi
> --