Boot Packing

On a back-country hike last weekend, I ended up boot packing part of the way. Each step was a challenge,  but I knew that those behind me were benefiting from my hard work and in the end I would have a nearly perfect run on my snowboard. It dawned on me this was the perfect analogy for my friends and clients at Millworks Co-housing.

The original Bellingham Co-housing did a lot for paving the way for more co-housing communities in Bellingham. I can only imagine the hundreds of hours put into working with the City officials to create the code that has allowed these two unique, special communities come to fruition. 10 years after the Bellingham Co-housing was completed, the Millwork community first made its offer on the property. And although the code was in place, there was much work to be done with the City to get the approvals for what is now Millworks. That was just one of the many, many hurdles overcame to build out Millworks.

We have been approached by several people wanting to know more about the process, the planning, the costs, and so on. Each co-housing community is unique and varied as its in habitants. However, there is no need to recreate the wheel. These two local co-housing communities are trail blazers, boot packers, leaders.

Because of the overwhelming interest in co-housing we are offering a tour of Millworks and will be releasing plans of our next co-housing venture March 11th and 12th.

It Takes a Village

When you were a youth did you roam the neighborhood? Did you have to be home by dinner? Did you know the people that lived near you? Most of us did, but times have changed. It's no longer "safe" to let our children explore without our watchful eyes. Electronics have replaced rocks being thrown in a pond. Kids are not walking to school, but rather driven, even if only a few blocks. Our kids don't know our neighbors. 

While the reasoning behind this shift in "safety" for our children is understood, it doesn't make it any less of a shame that their freedom to explore stops at our property lines. This is what I love about co-housing. Intentional communities create a safe place where kids can explore within their community.

It takes a village to raise a child.

The proverb is from Igbo and Yoruba regions of Nigeria and the basic meaning is that raising a child is a communal effort. It is to be taken to mean that the responsibility lies not only with the parents, but also with the extended family and in some cases the community.

I look forward to seeing the Millworks community develop into the village. The children within this community are not only going to have loving homes with wonderful parents, but friends and neighbors that will also have a lasting, positive, impact on their development.The parents should feel safe to open the doors and let them all run wild with creative abandon knowing that there is a community behind them to catch them if they fall.