First off, I have just good feelings about this...

What's up everyone!

Colin Bowden back on it, wanting to let you in on a few things.

Sorry I haven't been on in a while, but I'm in a bit of transition I did not expect.

I wanted to blog on about things going not so well, but I've been having a crummy past few weeks, so I wanna look toward something tonight.

My house currently has a focus on being queer-friendly, feminist, and people of color-friendly. We are not sure exactly what that looks like, however, so we're working on a mission statement, and last night some of us met and have one of the best collabs I've ever seen.

We had people talking and sharing ideas and thinking of ways to incorporate different methods of communication and teaching and learning and brainstorming. We planned out a whole workshop to run with the house, and it was...so...awesome!

In previous houses I've lived in, mission statements themselves did not exist. Exclusion of folks of color from co-ops through cultural weirdness, inaccessible bureaucracy or out-and-out hate? Didn't exist to them. At this house I live at now, I saw so much of why I want to live here last night. When we noticed messed dynamics we didn't sit on our hands, we called it out. And when we did, everyone, EVERYONE, listened. It was so beautiful, really. Not that it's all peaches and cream, (yum) but I am grateful to be in a space where I don't feel like me living there is contingent upon keeping quiet about how wack stuff can get.

I have not a single great insight to share, at least I don't think I do, currently. All I can say is I love to work with my house mates and feel enriched and better about life in general when I am able to work with others on something.

What about you? Any recently great experiences with cooperation?