Halloween and some great gals who are taking ACTION.
This is my favorite time of year. Halloween, Fall weather, leaves turning, my birthday, and having some fun with videos and staying connected to you all. I have been very busy! My Facebook Live’s on Mondays has kept me hopping and engaged. Changing topics every week to offer value is fun and challenging. Hopefully, you have joined me, if not please do on the Facebook page for Women for Living in Community Network.
Everyone was doing Zoom last year, and I thought it was “time” for me to do that too.
What happened is more about the women who gathered than zoom or my class but a few basic details.
We came together over Zoom from different parts of the country after my offering of a 5 session class on my guidebook, Your Quest for Home last Fall. There were 9 women who took the class with all its technical challenges (you know, “can you unmute?”). Oh, and my MacBook Pro gave up on the 3rd session. That was a real test of trust, flexibility and commitment which are all things needed on the quest.
About Us
More than half of the women continued to stay connected through our bi-monthly zoom meetings to support the 6 of us after the original class offering was completed. It is called “Continuing the Quest” (CTQ).
The timing was interesting during the class sessions as we had big events all over the world, a presidential election and the insurrection at the US Capital. And of course, we were all sequestered at home by a global pandemic. We bonded even more during this time.
We women who lived in Oregon, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, California, and North Carolina came together during those months. Thanks to the joint interests in furthering the goal of community, whatever that might be for each person, the quest is still on.
The really magical thing is that these women have taken their action plans seriously, that is why I love spending time with them.
Judy sold her house in Florida and moved to North Carolina to possibly join one of the women in the group to form a shared living arrangement. There was some impetus from all the hurricanes.
Another member picked up and moved from her home in Oregon to Arkansas to be near family and friends. Another member found the Village to Village Network in her hometown to participate in and expand her friendships and community. Yet another go-getter has taken huge strides to make her dream of a 4-plex house in North Carolina, that she lives in to become her own and grow her community that way. Then there is our friend who is working diligently on a lesbian community in Ohio, has regular meetings, a lively Facebook group and has shared her dream at conferences. All this, in less than a year. Wow!
Lots of BIG strides. The support and friendship, camaraderie and drive have been remarkable. The women often expound, without prodding, how much the support of the group means to them.
I am honored by this group of pioneers who have taken the challenge. It really makes me feel we can make a difference towards alternative possibilities for us as we age with connections of our choosing!
My observations of these women include some definite necessities in my opinion to make the possibility of aging in community a reality.
What we have in common: (and basic building blocks)
- Risk takers
- Sense of urgency
- Willingness to learn
- A big dose of flexibility
- Natural yearning for connections with others
- Resilience
- Positive nature
- Interpersonal work on themselves
I hope that some of you have gotten this far reading about some amazing champions bringing community living for themselves and others.
The next class on my book will be in 2022 as I focus on my webinar for Fellowship of Intentional Communities on some basics of Aging in Community, and my one-hour free webinar tentatively titled, Conquering Loneliness by Living a Golden Girl Like Life. I will keep you posted on all that on my FB page and here if you have subscribed.
Also if you’re not a Facebook fan, you can watch my live videos on my Youtube Channel. Have others who are interested? Please spread the word. Thank you for your continuous support. It’s a Movement…Hoping you will be joining us.
