3 Comments

  1. david
    February 15, 2009 @ 7:43 pm

    Josh, great post. I totally agree. It is opportunities like this that let us get to know one another. Daniel and Michelle also seem quite gifted at finding great places to eat. I’d like to hear more about Anne breaking Conally’s camera 🙂

    Great job guys. Thanks for leading our community as we seek to love Arlington.

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  2. Daniel
    February 16, 2009 @ 6:53 pm

    Michelle and I learned that Anne is a lifelong Arlingtonian and that the Hanke’s have similar unwelcomed squatters (of the small, furry persuasion) in their home as we do.

    Truly enjoyed our time together!

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  3. Anne Cregger
    February 23, 2009 @ 7:07 pm

    I agree, Daniel, the whole thing was great!
    Okay, so here’s the deal about the camera. Since the title of this blog is about community, i’m going to make reference to Community Living, the new favorite topic at our house.
    Soon after Connally moved in (and i think it was before George joined us, but Sam was still home— I’m just setting the context) her camera was on the kitchen counter and I was not paying attention. I was emptying the dishwasher, and I accidentally swept it to the floor. Ugh. Pause. Hmmm. *&^%
    We realized that sooner or later, someone was going to break/damage/destroy/wreck/lose something of value that belonged to the other one. And it’s different when the person is not a family member, somehow. Not sure how, but parent/child and parent/parent is distinct from housemate/housemate. So, we figured it out right away: I paid for a new camera. No, duh. And she began to be aware of where she put it. And i began to pay more attention. Connally also decided to upgrade cameras, so i contributed roughly the price of the first one.
    Obviously, this is not rocket design work, but it does make you pause and slow things down and deliberately realize that we’re in this for the long haul, accidents will happen, and it matters how you handle these things. Sweeping them away or minimizing or negotiating for ‘grace’ doesn’t work. Don’t forget Who is living in the house, too.
    I remember feeling like we’d accomplished something good: what to do when there’s a surprise fast depreciation of some THING we value. Not super-important, but how we approach it makes a big difference in establishing and growing trust on both sides.
    Is this too long for a comment? Seems a little stupid, now that i read it, but i’m going to post it anyway and get all the way wet in this pool.

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