A New Beginning: A Dream Becomes Reality

June 11, 2015 by

My Vision of Community

This is Part 2 of My Journey. In Part 1 of My Journey, I wrote about my recent move to a mini-pocket neighborhood – essentially developing a group of shared homes.  (PS. Sometimes we leave out the most obvious details – as if you can read my mind… I still live in Asheville, NC) I also wrote that it signaled not only an important change in my life but also for Women for Living in Community. To read Part 1, click here.

My Journey: A New Chapter for WLIC (June 5th)

For the past few years I have focused much of my attention on the education and awareness of issues surrounding living in community and aging.  I have worked hard to build and promote Women for Living in Community as a resource to families and individuals (men and women) who are seeking alternatives to aging in community for themselves and their families.

I am now beginning a new chapter, a chapter focused on the building and development of a community model for aging in community.  A community not focused on the physical structure with amenities (like nursing homes and retirement homes) but creating a community designation that can be adaptable to where you live, whether you live in a single family home, mobile home community or a NORC (naturally occurring retirement community), live in shared housing or any combination of newly emerging models like the tiny-house community.

The fundamental problem with the way we view aging today is the focus upon the physical needs which tend to place focus on the physical models of living such as retirement communities. These are designed and built solely for the purpose of aging adults and their healthcare but not built for their welfare. These models fail to place focus on the “living aging” and it is this kind of thinking that scares most of us.  We wish to change that focus and in doing so, change lives and how we “age” in community as an active, living, vibrant part of life.

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Group Visioning About Community

In the next chapter of my life, I hope to make connections and partnerships with people, professionals and groups that want to join me as we develop this new community model designation that focuses on the welfare of individuals,  families and the surrounding area.  This is a model that can be implemented right where people live now, not forcing them to move to some “center”.  There will be much more on this.  This is a dream that because of Women for Living in Community network, supporters, and people like you, can now be realized.  Look out for Bettyz Playz.

Filed Under: Bettyz Playz, Community Anywhere, My Story

I’ve Moved! Why and what does this mean for WLIC?

June 2, 2015 by
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Welcome to my house!

NOTE: This is Part 1 of My Journey update. Part 2 coming next week.

I’ve moved!

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I’ve explored many opportunities, some that came to me and some that I sought out.  I reviewed each of them but for one reason or another, they didn’t seem to fit or be the right thing at the right moment.

What about this move made it the right thing to do and how does my move fit in with Women for Living in Community? After all, a big part of my story has been my shared housing arrangement that I’ve been living in for the last 4 years, often referred to as the “Golden Girl” lifestyle.  (Click here for related blogs about ‘Golden Girls’ style living)

What I am doing now is expanding the shared housing concept in a mini-pocket neighborhood.

Shared housing is a very important and a viable, wonderful, life fulfilling learning experience for anyone who is seeking a better way of living as we age.  A mini-pocket neighborhood is an expansion of the shared housing concept. Imagine if the Golden Girls ladies lived in a neighborhood made up of other shared housing homes.  That’s what I am in the process of developing for myself.

My shared mini-pocket neighborhood

My new home and land are a perfect setting for me to take in housemates (I will have a part-time housemate for now).  I will also be sharing a larger piece of property and another house with a friend, essentially creating a mini-pocket neighborhood.  Already, opportunities are expanding.  There is another house on the property who is interested in possibly living as a mini-pocket neighborhood. Hope, hope,….

Will this be my last move?

Since moving to Asheville and launching Women for Living in Community, I have moved 7 times.  My moving has, in a way, been “on the job” training for me as I have explored various alternatives to living in community in order to find the right one. (Sure has given me good stories for my talks too!) I have learned something new about myself and the types of arrangements – all lessons I have shared with you and the Women for Living in Community network. While I hope this is it, I cannot say what the future holds. This move actually signals another important change and development in my life.

A Look Back: Over the Years slideshow:


The Next Chapter

In many ways this move has also signaled a turning point for Women for Living in Community.  More on that in Part 2 of My Journey update.

Filed Under: History of Women for Living in Community, My Story, Pocket Neighborhoods, Shared Housing

Help: The Corner Stone of Community

May 7, 2015 by

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In the March AARP issue (Bulletins) there was a great graphic titled Help When You Need It Most, a resource for caregivers and discusses the top concerns caregivers have and also provides resources to help with those concerns.

This list directly relates to Women for Living in Community because each of these concerns is addressed when women spearhead the change in how we think about aging in community because caregivers in our culture are usually women.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Collaborative Tools Tagged With: , ,

What is Community?

April 30, 2015 by

Let’s begin with Community

Community is a dynamic whole that emerges when a group of people:

  • participate in common practices
  • depend upon one another
  • make decisions together
  • identify themselves as part of something larger than the sum of their individual relationships
  • commit themselves for the long term to their own well-being, to each other, and to the group

*Adapted from “Creating Community Anywhere” By Carolyn Shaffer and Kristin Anundsen

This website and the primary subject in my book Your Quest for Home is building community. It has occurred to me that I have not yet provided a definition of community here on the blog. I include this adapted definition of community on Page 63 of the guidebook.

Let’s take a few moments to unpack it.

The original quote from Creating Community Anywhere by Shaffer and Anundsen is as follows:

What is Community?
Community is a dynamic whole that emerges when a group of people:
participate in common practices; depend upon one another; make decisions together; identify themselves as part of something larger than the sum of their individual relationships; and commit themselves for the long term to their own, one another’s, and, the group’s well being.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community Anywhere Tagged With:

Digital Book Launch: Your Quest for Home

April 16, 2015 by

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I am pleased to announce you can now read Your Quest for Home on Kindle, iBook, and Nook readers.

The guidebook is meant to be used as a series of exercises to help you better understand what it is you want in community and how to take the steps to make it happen. Offering the book in both digital and paperback formats widens the potential audience and makes it more accessible to more people.

Are you in the Western North Carolina area, business owner and/or organizer of a group dedicated to better living as we age? Schedule your book signing:

Inviting me to discuss Your Quest for Home, the activities, and talk about living in community is a perfect opportunity to engage your target audience. I can present on the subject, teach your group how to work with the Guidebook, and help you start on your own quest to find the community you want to live in. For more description, click here or submit your request now.

Engagements outside of WNC are considered as well but may require additional travel fees.

You see, I believe that finding a community is not only about the building or the methods but also about each of us as individuals. Your Quest for Home is a journey of self-discovery. It can help get you started and stop making excuses.

The book is written in an approachable way and provides a literal guidebook with exercises you can follow along with either in a group or on your own. For example, in chapters 8 and 9 we discuss the fairy tale villains that can stop your quest in its tracks.

You can buy Your Quest for Home in a number of different formats:Kindle, Nook, or iBook and it can be viewed on any tablet or eReader.

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If you are interested in having me speak, contact me through my website or Facebook page.

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

What are People Saying About “Your Quest for Home?”

April 9, 2015 by

Book LaunchI am very proud of my book, which should go without saying. But the author’s own endorsement isn’t generally what convinces new customers to buy a guidebook like mine. I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the things readers were saying on Amazon.

In case you don’t already know, Your Quest for Home is a guidebook designed to help you determine your needs for community living and set you up with the tools to make it happen in your own life. It is intended to make you think not only about the kind of community you want but what makes you a good community member as well.

Here are some of the things people are saying about Your Quest for Home.

[Read more…]

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

Communities Magazine: Spring 2015 Community for Baby Boomers

April 2, 2015 by

Communities magazineI was pleasantly surprised when I opened my mailbox earlier this month to see the spring issue of Communities Magazine with the title “Communities for Baby Boomers” emblazoned across the cover. Since the 1970s, Communities Magazine has been the go-to publication for intentional communities of all types, and since boomers were the catalyst for the communal living movement of the 60s it is no surprise that we are also the leaders of the new initiative to create communities as we age.

The magazine has a number of great articles that would be of interest to anyone looking to develop community.

[Read more…]

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

Women’s History Month: Elsie Frank

March 26, 2015 by

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When I started researching for Women’s History Month I was surprised to discover very little information about women who have made a difference in the lives of aging Americans. I also learned that some extra digging can bring up a lot of great information if you’re willing to put in the work. Below the surface of Women’s History are the stories we don’t always celebrate.

One such story is that of Elsie Frank.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Graceful Aging, History of Women for Living in Community, Resources for You Tagged With: , ,

Women’s History Month: Patricia Goldman-Rakic

March 19, 2015 by

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Have you ever heard the name Patricia Goldman-Rakic? Probably not, but her work as a neurobiologist has almost certainly touched your life in some way.

It was Goldman-Rakic’s work on memory centers of the brain that allowed scientists to finally break the code on Alzheimer’s disease and several other common brain conditions. Her story came to an abrupt end in 2003 when she was struck by a car and died at the age of 66, still in the peak of her career.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Women’s History Month: The Suffragettes

March 12, 2015 by

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I may have been a bit naïve when I decided to tackle this project during the month of March. I honestly believed that a simple Google search with a few keywords would get me to a wealth of information about women who were pioneers in building community. That was when I realized that what we, and multiple other trailblazers in community living, are doing is new and bold.

So I decided to take a step back.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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