CAMBRIDGE COHOUSING
175 Richdale Avenue, Cambridge MA

Living in a cohousing community you learn to strike a balance between social interaction and privacy. A quick nod is read accurately as no time to stop and chat while a leisurely stroll to the mail room encourages greetings and catch-ups. Cambridge cohousers love to celebrate and take every opportunity to have fun together. Below are some of the ways we live together:

 

• Helping each other. Rides, child-care, meals for the sick or new mothers, as well as borrowing sugar and other supplies or just lending a hand to move a couch or help someone fix something. We’re committed to supporting one another.

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• Eating together. 1-3 times a week (cooks and cleanup teams signup in advance) we share meals in our common dining room. Residents choose to sign up to eat as many or a few meals as works with their schedule and personal preferences.

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• Working together. Everything from governance to green living. Our residents participate in the work life of our community through groups, meetings, and tasks that benefit all. Residents are expected to join groups (known as circles) as well as participate in work days, trash duty and special projects. Some take on individual tasks such as buying supplies, maintaining our community budget, or coordinating the sign up of our guest rooms. Others like to garden and join Outdoor Living or like to create community events and join Community Connections. Everyone works to keep our common spaces tidy so that all can enjoy them.

 

• Playing together. In summer there’s croquet, badminton and outdoor dining. In winter we watch movies, have Ping-Pong parties, and game nights by the fireplace. There are traditions like the No Talent Show, Pie Breakfast (the day after Thanksgiving) and many holiday parties. We celebrate milestones like birthdays and anniversaries (2018 marked our 20th year). All year round, we share music, plays, art, etc in our common house and by taking advantage of the Boston area with group forays. 

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• Sharing our lives. We come together to share our personal stories, our worries, hopes and dreams for the planet and ourselves. We celebrate everything from residents who have touched our lives and are now gone to the birth of babies. We’ve all had a myriad of jobs and life experiences and it seems like there’s always more to know about one another.

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• Learning from each other. When disagreements arise, we work hard to listen to one another. This often leads to mutual understanding and compassion. Many of us have special skills and talents such as mediation, wood working and gardening. It’s great to learn and benefit from these talented individuals. Our children often say they have multiple grandparents. Whether it’s a lap to climb on, a game of chess or that special project, they know just which one they want.