Women for Living in Community: Plan for Joy

October 16, 2014 by

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When I first read Martha Beck’s “Plan for Joy” in O Magazine I was immediately engaged. This is what I had always imagined as I planned for my own life. I firmly believe that planning for the worst but hoping for the best is a defeatist attitude that will likely only lead us directly into our own worst case scenarios. While knowing how not to panic in an emergency is an important life skill, so is knowing how to cultivate happiness in our lives. Rather than reinventing the wheel I thought I might share with you my insights on Martha Beck’s own ideas.

Beck’s blueprint is:

  1. Have a vision.
  2. Let go of what doesn’t work.
  3. Don’t be afraid to fail.
  4. Pay attention to what really matters to you.

Here is my take on these four steps.

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Filed Under: Graceful Aging Tagged With: ,

The 5 Biggies in Community

October 9, 2014 by

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When I teach workshops about building community I make sure I talk about some of the small details that can turn into huge problems. Many people don’t even think of these things when they are getting started. These can destroy friendships and even marriages. And when it comes to living with housemates you may not know well these small problems can easily become amplified. If you’re considering sharing a single household with several other people here are the 5 biggies that you should consider.

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Filed Under: Collaborative Tools, Shared Housing Tagged With: , , ,

How to Find Like-Minded People in Your Community

October 2, 2014 by

5571950287_e079122b9b_zRecently a reader on the Facebook page asked:

“I never see anyone on this page that is actually looking for a roommate or a house to live in community with other people, why is that? I live in the Triad on North Carolina which is in the center of the state, I would love to find other women who want to live in community, if you are out there please contact me.”

While we would love for our page to facilitate meetings it may not be the best tool for the job. However, there are many other ways to find like-minded people in your area with whom to build community. I thought I might provide some ideas and tools that can work for you.

I have written a couple of blog posts about this very subject. You can see them here:

So let’s take recap and take a look at some of the best online methods in a little more detail.

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Filed Under: Collaborative Tools, Personal Preparation, Resources for You Tagged With: ,

Intergenerational Messages: How Elders can Teach the Next Generation

September 24, 2014 by

A meeting

As Active Aging Week continues, today’s recommended activity is centered on Intergenerational Messages. The idea is that grandparents have a lot of wisdom to pass on to the next generation. I challenge that this doesn’t only encompass grandparents but also moms, aunts, friends, and extended community.

Women for Living in Community is built on the idea that we have something to teach not only among our peers but to the next generation.

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Filed Under: Community Anywhere Tagged With: , ,

Celebrate Active Aging Week in Your Community

September 18, 2014 by

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September 21st to 27th is Active Aging Week. This event, led by the International Council of Active Aging (ICCA) is designed to spread the word about the different ways in which people age and how to stay more engage and healthy throughout your golden years. Adults age 50 and older are encouraged to participate in local activities with each day focusing on a different subject.

If your community doesn’t have activities planned for Active Aging Week get together with some of your friends to participate on your own and work toward building a bigger event for next year.

Organizations throughout North America are encouraged to hold free or low cost Active Aging Week events open to the public. Events are intended to be educational and fun. Likely locations for events already scheduled in your community are parks, malls, YMCAs, and Jewish Community Centers. You may also find events happening at health clubs, senior centers, and assisted living communities. Some activities may include group walks, health fairs, dances, exercise classes, concerts, and anything local organizers are able to present. Programming is encouraged to be flexible and accessible for anyone who wants to participate.

The ICCA has provided suggested programming for specialty days during Active Aging Week. These include:

  • Sunday, September 21st: Foot Health. Without healthy feet many average daily tasks can be difficult or cause excruciating pain. Learn how to keep your feet healthy as you stay active.
  • Monday, September 22nd: Walking. Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to stay active as you age. Get a group of friends together for a walk around a local park.
  • Tuesday, September 23rd: Falls Prevention. Falls can be devastating for older adults. This is one of the reasons that community living can provide safety and assistance to individuals as they age.
  • Wednesday, September 24th: Bone Health. Many adults, especially women, will feel the effects of osteoporosis as they age. Learn how to prevent it or manage it in your life.
  • Thursday, September 25th: Intergenerational Day. Stay Tuned for next week’s blog post about how Women for Living in Community has a few things to teach the younger generations.
  • Friday, September 26th: Walking/Group Classes. The ICCA has established events in cities throughout the country for individuals to get together and walk or take other fitness classes. Join one in your community.
  • Saturday, September 27th: Celebration. The last day of Active Aging Week is a time to let loose and celebrate. For people interested in developing communities for active aging local mixers or celebrations may be a great way to meet like-minded people. If there isn’t one in your area then throw a party!

Do you think you might participate in Active Aging Week? If so, how? We’d love to hear your stories. Share them in the comments or join the conversation on Facebook!

To learn more about Women for Living in Community, visit our home page.

 

 

Photo from a past Women for Living in Community MeetUp event.

Filed Under: Collaborative Tools, Events Tagged With: , ,

Extended Community and the Role of the Internet

September 11, 2014 by

caring bridge marianne

Last month I shared the story of my injury and was looking forward to recovery. I do want to let you all know that I have been doing very well since I had surgery to repair the damage in my neck and have been slowly getting back to normal.

When I wrote about my experience and the importance of my shared household and community in my initial emergency as well as my recovery I purposefully left out part of the story. This one involved a more widespread community and how the internet and social media played a part in the connections.

When I first felt the debilitating pain in my neck, my original Facebook posting got the attention of my cousin who just happens to be a neurosurgeon. One phone call later I felt confident with a second opinion that helped inform me about my options going forward. I also received dozens of well wishes from others as well as input from people who had similar experiences in their own lives. It was helpful to be in contact just to let my far-flung friends and family know that I wasn’t ignoring them but rather trying to stay away from the computer too much and let the healing begin.

Since that time, and throughout the surgery, I was able use an online tool called Caring Bridge which allowed everyone to stay in touch, keep themselves informed, and send messages of support that I could see when I was finally back to a computer screen. It was both practical and heartwarming. Caring Bridge is a non-profit organization.

I have experienced so much support over the last several months that it is hard to write about how much it touched me. There were many messages, emails, visits, offers to help, dinners made, and deliveries of delicious edibles. Some friends even offered to take me to the doctor to help in my recovery. There are so many more blessings that I can’t even list.

Have you evaluated what you have in your support network? Support takes a different shape with each person in your life. You may have friends and family in another state who can’t be with you to help but want to support you in other ways. Most of my family is on the west coast but through the power of the internet I was able to stay connected and I knew they were thinking of me and lending their support in my recovery.

Of course, the internet doesn’t just have to play a role in your life when you’ve suffered a major setback. It can be a great tool for finding your own community and making change happen in your life. Tools like Facebook and Meet Up can help connect you to likeminded people to form a community and become each other’s support network through every day challenges and major disasters.

What are you waiting for?

Learn more about building community through Marianne’s workbook Your Quest for Home and on the website. Ask a question and join the discussion on Facebook.

Filed Under: Collaborative Tools, Community Anywhere, My Story, Resources for You Tagged With: ,

The Trouble with Titles: What to Call Us

August 26, 2014 by

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This week on Women for Living in Community we want to reach out to readers of this blog to answer a burning question: what should we call ourselves?

Certainly there are already several applicable titles. We fall easily within the Baby Boomer generation. Since most of us are over 60, at least, we could also be called seniors. However, when I hear those titles I find myself cringing inside just a little bit. They are the easiest but are they the best?

Most of us know the history of the term Baby Boomer. If not, here is a quick recap. It came about after World War II between 1946 and 1964. Our nation experienced a baby boom which led to one of the largest generations in U.S. history. Today that privilege goes to the Millennials. Boomers are also associated with a rejection of traditional values. Our generation was the first hippies of the 1960s and 1970s. We also achieved greater success than the generations before us and were responsible for many of the technological innovations that continue to shape the foundation of our society today.

However, Baby Boomer doesn’t really describe what we are or what we do. It was a label thrust upon us before we were old enough to toddle. Did you know that boomers born after 1957 were sometimes called Generation Jones? This title also bridges over to the first few Generation X years. This is just further proof that generational titles are not always accurate. This is as confusing as the recent trend of interchanging Generation Y with Millennials.

So this begs the question: what do we want to be called?

Rather than allowing the media or our parents or society at large to determine the right term for individuals in our age bracket maybe it is time to take control of it for ourselves. This may be a fool’s errand. Other organizations have tried to determine more applicable titles. Maybe there isn’t just one title that applies to everyone in our age bracket. But we think it will be fun to try.

What name do you prefer for our generation? We want to hear your ideas. Tell us in the comments what terms you prefer for our generation. Or, you can join the conversation on Facebook and answer there.

Filed Under: Your Story Tagged With: ,

Community Spotlight: Senior Flatmates

August 19, 2014 by

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Community can mean many things to many people. Some who are looking to build community want a shared household with several housemates. Others envision a pocket neighborhood community where each member has their own home and they come together for shared experiences. Others still are looking for a tiny accessory dwelling unit in a back yard so they can be close to friends or family.

Can just two roommates sharing a space in the Big Apple be considered a community?

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Filed Under: Community Spotlight Tagged With: , ,

The Blessings of Housemates: When Community Becomes More

August 13, 2014 by

Just over a month ago, on July 11th, the article in the New York Times was published. I spent the weekend basking in the glow of the new attention being paid to the Women for Living in Community movement.

But that all changed on Monday.

I woke up to neck and arm pain so excruciating, I immediately thought it may be a stroke or heart attack. My pain was similar to the warning signs of women in my age group. The more I writhed around on the floor in intense pain the more I realized that I needed help. Because of my shared household, help was only 5 feet away in our common kitchen where my housemate was standing.

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Filed Under: My Story, Shared Housing Tagged With: , ,

Creating Community Where You Already Are (Do you know your Neighbors?)

August 5, 2014 by

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I know in many places in the country people feel very isolated. From suburban neighborhoods to apartments, neighbors just don’t talk to each other like they use to. There was a time when everyone on every street knew all the other people lived there. They were each others support networks and friends. Our increasingly more digital culture, with all of its benefits, has allowed us to remain isolated in our homes and reach out to friends and family through the power of social media rather than in person.

Are you interested in creating community as you age? The first place to start is right in your own neighborhood.

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Filed Under: Community Anywhere Tagged With: ,
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