ER10years_throwaway

Oh, man...I just want to say that I was a guest at Acorn for a couple of nights a few years ago, and it was a great experience. Life-changing in at least one way, in fact. The story is:

I was sitting on the kitchen's back porch alone and hearing some of the members making dinner inside--singing together and cracking each other up and such--and I was feeling a little blue because I didn't want to go in and intrude despite it sounding like a lot of fun.

After dinner I confessed this to a guy, who told me I would've been totally welcome even if I just wanted to go in and start cooking a dish on my own out of the communal food supply. I was a bit incredulous and asked him, wouldn't that interfere with the meal plan?

He goes, "Plan? No, that's not how it works. Look, if you feel a vested interest in something, you need to get involved. Like if dinner doesn't get made, don't feel put out...YOU'RE the one who didn't make it."

That principle's now a constant presence in my life--it's helped me be more motivated, kinder, attentive to others, etc. So I really appreciate the example you folks set. Thanks.

Edit: to the people saying that Twin Oaks sounds creepy: if it's anything at all like the Acorn community, and I have to think it is because Acorn is literally an offshoot of Twin Oaks, I never once felt like I was staying somewhere cultish. Just the opposite, in fact, because they made it clear to me that I'd have to jump over a high bar if I wanted to join. Nobody proselytized, and nobody asked me for money even one time. I NEVER felt pressured. And I was raised fundamentalist Christian and in my travels have couch-surfed with a couple of sketchy religious communities and one that seemed outright cultish, so my radar's decent.

Hi there. Thanks for dropping in. If I wanted to learn an easy trick to delight kids, what would you recommend?