From: <mailto:kipandbeth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>Kip and Beth Gardner
Date: 7/12/2007 7:55:54 AM
To: <mailto:Betterway Core Group:,>Betterway Core Group:,
Subject: Betterway
Dear All,
I don't really know how to start this email so please bear
with me. I have tried really hard to sit on my hands since the last
email I sent and see what the group is thinking about moving forward.
We seemed to be having trouble getting people to meetings, sometimes
even when we all (all present) sat together and picked out a date.
It's really difficult to move forward by having meetings when the
meetings are made up of Kip, myself, and 2 or 3 others. So Kim
graciously and usefully put us on the freelists email group so that
we could all communicate and get discussions of key issues moving on
email. Nothing seems to have happened there. At the last meeting we
("we" at meetings always refers to those who showed up) agreed we
needed a starting point and asked everyone to contribute the answers
to 2 questions (what were their minimum requirements or vision of
community and what commitments were they willing to make to move the
process forward.) This was nearly 3 weeks ago. I'm the only one who's
posted. It wasn't even my idea, although I thought it was a good one.
I also posted a list of items before our last actual meeting that
we've discussed addressing but have never actually addressed or
finished and had absolutely no response.
Look, I know it's Summer. I know that everyone is busy. I
know that we are trying to build a new way of living while living the
lives we are in, so I'm really not trying to blame. Kip and I have
been at this full-time for 5 years. I feel better about this small
core group now than any other group formation we've had. I really
like all of you and when we are together and focused (or together
just hanging out) it feels so right and seems like we could really
make it happen. But in-between nothing seems to be happening and we
just aren't going to get there by meeting once a month! Yes, it's
hard. In Creating A Life Together Dianna Christian says that some
people living in communities said "Don't tell them just how hard it
really is, no one will try."
Please don't take this to mean that I want people to make a
firm decision right now that you are "in" or "out", and I don't want
anyone dropping out of the process because they feel pressured. If we
worked REALLY hard at this we probably still wouldn't be ready to
purchase land for a year. But how can we do this if we can't even
examine in a concrete way what we want from community and what we
want to give to the process and the community once formed.
I will speak for just myself here. Kip and I do have a "plan
B", seeing if we could find a smaller piece of land with just a
couple of other households, including someone who wanted to farm with
Kip. I could live with it, but it's not really what I want, it's not
my dream of community. But Kip and I are going to have to do
something soon or we will lose our chance to raise Hannah in the
country, for Kip to farm, for us to live consciously in a different
way. I want to see community happen not just for us but because it's
the right thing for this area and people right now. I believe this
group could do it, but I don't know if we will do it.
Please think on this. I'm sorry if it sounds like a rant, I
don't mean for it to, but I needed to put this out there. And I
really need some sort of feedback (through our personal email or the
list, I don't care) and to know if I'm sounding unreasonable or if
anyone else sees it his way.
Sincerely, Beth
--
North Canton, OH
