Betwixt and Between

The Conundrum

On this wet, blustery and snowy weekend, I'd love to hunker down in a place we could call 'home'. Home is where you feel comfortable, where you know every nook and cranny and allow the walls to envelope and embrace you. A fireplace would be nice, as well as a gorgeous view of the ocean, or a lake. Add to that a project and I'd be all set.

I tried that this weekend, minus the fireplace and the ocean and so far, my quilting project hasn't been going so well. But the thing that kept nagging me was the co-op. The darn co-op! What would it be like to not be affected by where I live?

I'd rather not be reminded of All Members Meetings, or be beholden to the co-op in any way. On the other hand to protect ourselves, it is necessary to attend at least some of these meetings to keep abreast of what is transpiring in the co-op.

Spring will soon be upon us. People we haven't seen all winter will be coming out of hibernation. One upside of gossip in the co-op is that it can be our source of news. On the other hand, it can exacerbate anxiety with the resultant effect of keeping one inside their unit.

Should We Stay, or Should We Go?

We're so used to co-op living - that is all that we've known since living in rent-geared-to-income housing. We feel closely connected to where we live - grassroots so to speak. It would feel strange paying rent to a landlord, but in a way, that is what the co-op has become. We do have unit upgrades, which I'm sure is a tad better than in city run non-profit housing and we're not infested to my knowledge with cockroaches and other vermin. There used to be a comfort zone living in a co-op - a certain 'ownership'. That feeling of belonging is no more. Should we apply to city run non-profit housing? We are contemplating just that. That would be a sad commentary on co-op living.