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Living in intentional community has many perks. Connections are desired, shared values and shared work carry us through, and support is there when needed. But nothing is quite as exquisite as the beauty of several generations interacting with each other on a daily basis. My husband and I raised our children on a gorgeous property at the end of a dirt road, way up high in the Rocky Mountains. We barely saw another house, lived among plenty of wildlife, with views of distant peaks and cradled by starry nights. It was idyllic in so many ways. And yet, we were also very alone up there. No other kids around, no adults to share our parenting joys and struggles with, and no support from an extended family network. Every connection with others took planning and a trip in the car, driving away from our beloved land. So when the time came to envision our next phase in life, after the kids had left home, our priority shifted from a vision of beautiful solitude, surrounded by nature, to the search for “our people”. Then Heartwood showed up, offering all of it, in one package! Today I share with you some of the stories that are being lived here. Our fantastic little village is home to people of literally all ages. We just welcomed the birth of our newest member in March of this year, which brings our band of children up to 7, all under the age of 7. At the same time we are graced with 6 very active octogenarians. And then there is the rest of us spread out in age between. A colorful bunch we are for sure! Let’s hear from one of our elders first:  “Mimi” as she is lovingly called, our hostess for many big and small events at Heartwood, getting ready for the crowds to come in from the Easter egg hunt outside. “Having lived in this multigenerational community for 25 plus years I have had the joy of seeing small children (some even born here) grow to maturity and leave only to be replaced by yet another round of beautiful young personalities from which I can learn and grow. Although I am not as involved in their lives as I once was, their presence is an enrichment I treasure and would not choose to live without. I had my own children in the 60s when the nuclear family was the norm and the care of the family was pretty much a mother's domain. It is a beautiful thing to see up close the bonding and nurturing care young fathers are sharing in addition to the willing communal help here from other available adults. The very things I speak of are, in turn, gifted back to me as an elder. I feel completely supported and appreciated for my presence here and know I can reach out for help in any way at any time. I am filled with gratitude every day that years ago I knew that cohousing held something worth working for. In a world of increasing separation and loneliness, I feel blessed to be here.” - Lynne (Mimi)  Our newest member, safely tucked away with Dad! The next generation!  “I love living in a community with people of varying ages from newborn to 85 and everything in between. I love having access to the diverse perspectives of folks in different ages and life stages – this adds such richness to my life. As one of the founding families, Michael and I started working on the development of Heartwood when our first-born child was just one year old – two years into development we had our son. Both children got to grow up in the Heartwood community, immersed in nature, community friendships, and summer evening games of freeze-tag in the Village Green. In the years we raised our children, the community was flush with young families — the squeals of children shrieking, laughing, and calling for help were the predominant sounds in the community. And our residents that were childless or had already raised their children played an important role in those years. Older Heartwood residents with grown children or no children provided more sets of eyes on our young, daring explorers, knitting instruction, help making winter gingerbread houses, spontaneous campfires, and tales from their own youths. They were a great support to parents of young kids – I personally appreciated the listening ears and gentle suggestions from parents of grown children. Since my own parents were far away, being able to talk with older parents who had already been where I was then was a great comfort and helped me navigate the challenges of raising our children. Time passed – 32 years since our daughter was born, 25 years since we moved into our Heartwood home. Those original Heartwood children grew up and left the community for college, careers, marriage and children of their own. Today I am a grandmother. Our daughter married a local man, had two children, and is raising her family 20 minutes from us. Every Thursday our grandsons come to Heartwood and we keep them for the day. One day a week our grandsons get to experience life at Heartwood, just as our children did: the endless games to play on the SS Ponderosa play structure, the foosball table in the common house, digging in the sand with other neighborhood kids, other adults looking out for them, helping to keep them safe. And last year we were able to welcome our adult son back into our home for a stint while he saves money for his next step in life. So each week our grandsons get to visit with their uncle as they come to Heartwood to spend the day with Gigi and Zadie (our grandparent names) and play on the SS Ponderosa. We've come full circle as a Heartwood family.” - Beth  Uncle Jesse with his nephew on top of the SS Ponderosa. One of our aunties!  Nancy with one of the youngest members. “Actively accessing curiosity and wonder are important to me. Living amongst children sustains my curiosity and feeds my sense of wonder. Being curious is also helpful in multigenerational cohousing because there’s a natural interest in seeing things through another’s eyes. I think that makes such a difference – that openness to seeing something through someone else’s eyes.” - Nancy Young families.  Ashley with her youngest, Jesse with his, having a moment on a front porch. "Life in a multigenerational cohousing community has been rich. Rich in learning, growing, belonging, and in shared experiences. I look around every day and see relationships of all ages forming and informing each other. Just within this last month, I have watched as a 65-year-old community member gleefully play-wrestled with 4 small kids in the common house recreation room – tossing them onto huge bean bag chairs as they screamed in delight. I watched as my 70-year-old neighbor gently assisted my 1-year-old daughter in finding her hidden eggs during the annual Easter egg hunt. I heard squeals of laughter as our 30-year-old neighbor bounced a pack of excited children on the trampoline. My 5-year-old daughter was overjoyed to be invited to spend a morning helping a neighbor clean her house, gather lettuce from the greenhouse and help her prep dinner for that day. I listened as our 4-year-old neighbor told me all about the pink slime that she made while spending time with another adult neighbor. Every year when the spring flowers start to bloom in a neighbor’s front yard, I recall watching out the front window as she and my daughter patiently planted and watered the flower bulbs. I felt the excitement as the older kids eagerly anticipated the arrival of the newest Heartwood member who is now just 1 month old. These small moments of joy and relating across age-gaps and generations are woven into the fabric of life here at Heartwood. These small snippets of shared moments are the foundation of memories that become the story of a life. The elders share their patience, wisdom, and perspective and the children gift their wonder, joy and exuberance for life. And I get the gift of being in the middle – watching, absorbing and appreciating all the richness that is exchanged among friends of all ages." - Ashley Some more snapshots.  Horsing around in the Village Green while parents get to relax and connect with other adults somewhere.  Hiking is so much fun with many! A snapshot from our yearly Canyonlands camping trip. We wish you a lovely spring. Peace be within and around you as well as with your loved ones and the world beyond!
In community, Nisargo |