one of the best things about our Island, and one of the hardest things to write about, is our community. that's a word that is thrown around a lot but one that i think most people don't ever experience in a true sense. i know i never did until i moved here 10 years ago. i read an interesting article on mothering.com about co-housing, ('It Takes A Village To Raise a Child') and it struck me that 'this is what we have!"
On our Island, we have no stores and the mainland is a ferry ride away, so we borrow from each other a lot. (DVDs, food staples, a bottle of wine here and there)
Our houses are very close together (often about 10 feet or so between houses) and our lots are small, so we know a lot about each other's lives, for better and worse sometimes!
There are no cars on the Island, so we see each other coming and going as we walk or cycle, without barriers of glass or metal, and we have a 12 minute ferry ride during which to visit on our way to town or on our way home.
There aren't too many of us: 250 houses. We are varied in our ages (6 months old to 94 years old) and our socio-economic standings (some of us deliver the newspaper and return bottles for a living, while others of us are doctors or lawyers). Our houses are part of a community land trust so that this diversity is protected.
We socialize together (Talent Night, Gala Weekend, weekly community dinners) and have our own traditions (Spring Equinox Bonfire, Easter Egg Hunt, Fire Parade). We have a wooden cut-out stork that makes its way around to announce each new baby on the Island, and after each of my children was born, neighbours brought 3 course home cooked meals every night at 6 pm for 2 weeks!
Our next-door-neighbour Grahame is someone who, in another place, we might never have gotten the opportunity to get to know. But because we are 'together' almost every day, he has become one of our close friends, and godfather to Asa. He takes the kids to the playground, lets Asa play the drums at his house, takes Lee out to hit the ball, and pushes Maxine in the "weeee!" (swing). Last weekend, he even stepped in and helped Lee with a paper mache project for school. All this, and he also takes care of all our gardening needs, as he is a professional gardener. I like to think we don't get all the benefits of this relationship. Grahame doesn't have any kids or grandkids, so i think it's nice for him too.
living here has made me feel blessed, and part of something bigger than myself.
