The Heartwood Shuffle
In our community it’s not where you live that matters, but that each member stays connected and gets their needs met. This idea is embodied in what we affectionately call the “Heartwood Shuffle”. The Heartwood Shuffle is a dance of compassion and meeting needs. Sometimes it’s two steps forward and one step back. We never know when the dance will begin or when it will end. Last year the dance started with my neighbors whose kids had grown and moved out. They wanted to spend a year away on retreat at their beautiful cabin in the Conejos. That opened up their house for rent. Another family was crammed into a little studio apartment with the two kids and another on the way. They worked it out to move into the spacious home next to me and their third child was born not long after.
Swing your partner to the left. This opened up the studio and someone who was just renting a room, got their own place.
Now a year later. The family next door has moved to even a bigger place and the older couple that lived next to the studio is renting the home next to mine because their grand daughter is coming to live with them for awhile. Their home was too small for that to happen so they found another place within the community. That leaves their beautiful natural home up for rent. Who knows who might come along.
And it’s not just homes that get shuffled around! Cars, furniture, bikes and clothes get given or traded or bought from each other at really good deals. Twice a year we have a clothing exchange where all the women in the community spend a Saturday morning together sharing coffee and treats, stories and trying on each others clothes. Every one brings a big bag or box of clothes and we just dump them on tables and the floor and then the fun begins. There is often jewelry, and other little give always as well. A lot of the stuff are things we hate to part with, but knowing someone we know will get some enjoyment out of them, helps to clear it out. And sometimes things come back around when we are ready to have them back in our lives.
Community here at Heartwood is about sharing. Not just material things, but stories, hopes, dreams, challenges, talents,and experiences as well. Think of all the things you share with your friends and neighbors. Is there more that you could share?
