Why do you want to join an intentional community?
Anyone
who doesn't even know what an intentional community is seems to
look at me, an almost-50-year-old single woman considering moving
to the hills and living with 10 to 15 other people whom I barely
know, as though I'm crazy. Even though I'm a child of the 60s-70s,
I've lived a fairly normal life in small cities, in rented housing,
going to work every day, driving a car, using credit cards, getting
married, getting divorced, raising a child, etc. just like the rest
of you. But there has always been a pull to live differently; to
question authority, to live my life from my heart rather than my
brain. My heart has always told me I need to live in the trees,
to live simply, to share more with others. As I approach the time
when I will be considered an elder, I feel the pull even stronger.
I have watched my parents live out their lives isolated in rented
apartments, watching TV, and I have absolutely no intention of ending
there. I have more to offer, more to share, and more to experience.
I looked into joining a commune in the late 70s when I was a single
mother with an infant daughter. I went to Oregon, looked around,
but didn't find the right fit. I have never wanted to be part of
a group led by one person, usually a man, who told the rest of us
how to think and live. I also had trouble giving up my independence
because I wanted to go into women's health and become a nurse practitioner
or midwife. I returned to the straight life.
But now, I am releasing the usual dreams of owning my own house,
watching it grow in value on the California market and someday passing
it on or making lots of money on it. Instead, I will move to a large
acreage, share it with other people who will become my extended
family, and give my granddaughter an experience she could never
have in my current situation. I will grow much more as a person
by challenging myself in a completely new environment. Making decisions
by consensus, sharing part of my living space with many different
people, working on projects together, being there for each other
in good and bad times, all sounds wonderfully inviting to me.
What do you like about the ones you have visited?
I've visited two communities in California, one in Mendocino County
and one in the foothills above Fresno. I originally read about them
in the "Communities Directory" [see ad in this issue].
They are about the same size, less than 10 adults and a few young
children. Both formed in the 90s and want to grow a little more.
They both have common buildings where everyone eats and gathers,
and individual small shelters for private space. Some of the buildings
are of strawbale and other natural building materials, one is a
geodesic dome, some are recycled lumber, some are even small trailers.
I liked both communities for similar reasons. They have over 100
acres, most of which they plan to leave in a natural state. They
want to live somewhat sustainably, caring for the land and each
other, developing healthy relationships, and generally living lightly
on the earth. They do not have any specific religion or dogma, they
welcome diversity, they are sincere people. So , I like their size,
their intentions, their locations and the individual people.
Have you tried to do anything like this here
in SLO? I mean so many people are leaving because they can't afford
to live here, you'd think there could be a concerted effort to build
an affordable intentional community on the outskirts of town?
Not really, because there are no intentional communities here that
fit me, in that way. The price of land here is
outrageous and has prohibited the people I know who are interested
in such a venture from moving forward. I know people here who are
discussing forming a community and moving out of the area to get
it going, but I'm ready now and don't see myself starting from scratch
on raw land. I see the benefits of joining an already established
group as saving myself a lot of time and money; if I were younger
I might approach it differently.
How have housing prices in this area effected
your decision to move?
I might have stayed if I had been a homeowner, but I'm glad that
I have been saved from the sense of safety and stability my own
house might have afforded me. I don't want to live alone in a house
in the city, whether it's mine or someone else's on paper. I look
forward to sharing decisions, space, land, garden, projects, adventures
and life with a group of people I admire and love, instead of living
alone and trying to develop a sense of community with my friends
who are spread out all over the county.
Have you considered co-housing, especially since
people can save up to 50% for buying in a traditional home market?
I have considered co-housing in the past, but it too requires a
large amount of money in this area, and I think I'm ready at this
point in my life to live closer with a smaller group of people than
co-housing offers. When my family was young, I think I would have
been excited about the benefits of co-housing, but I didn't have
the financial means then, and it wasn't available as readily as
it is now.
I think a small, rural intentional community fits my heart right
now; I have no doubt I will be living in one of these two next year,
learning to become part of something bigger than my current life,
expanding my boundaries. I see this as a challenge and know it will
be a blessing too.
Debra Bingham is a native Californian and a resident
of SLO county since 1986, having moved up from Santa Barbara for
a more rural and affordable life. She has considered women's health
her calling since her 20s, working in non-profit clinics, attending
homebirths, and working in hospital obstetrics. Ten years ago she
returned to school to become a nurse-practitioner and has worked
at Planned Parenthood Santa Maria and SLO since then. She grows
vegetables, practices yoga and hikes in her spare time, and currently
dedicates much of that time to her one year old granddaughter, Claire,
and her 23 year old daughter, Sierra.
