We have created a true village. I know my neighbors better than close friends I have known for years.
-Joe
What is outstanding about Cohousing for me is the intergenerational aspect. I am in my mid-80s and Touchstone is looking forward to a new baby in March. We are an extended family with surrogate parents, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, etc. There is always someone around who can fill in when there is a need to be met. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
-Lois
It’s a great place to raise kids. Our extended family atmosphere means we support and help each other.
-Kristen
I am surrounded by people who are friends. We help each other, share meals and work together. It’s a nice feeling to live here.
-Julie
I know my neighbors and see them every day. You can trust going home because you know everyone so well. Plus it’s a lot of fun.
-Tom
I love the shared childcare and spontaneous play dates for our neighborhood kids.
-Lora
My best friends are my new neighbors. I love having children in my life again, too. Neighbors helped me carry lumber and cement bags into the back yard for the deck I built. A couple of them helped with deck construction, too. Neighbors have driven me to the airport and picked me up several times. I am welcome to raid neighbor’s kitchens when I am missing an ingredient while cooking.
-Jack
I value the connectedness I feel with neighbors as we share life experiences more intentionally and intimately. Being a usually centered individual, it is refreshing to be able to quickly connect with someone nearby for a listening ear and/or a hug for those moments when help is needed. Also, it’s refreshing to be able to offer that same support to others who are open to the experience. Being the mother of 4 grown home-schooled children, I feel compassion towards young families on their journey, which has given me an appreciation of the challenges and wonders of family community. Presently, my two teens are moving into more mature relationships in community life experiences. How special is that? To me, it is big.
-Diane
Spontaneous invitations for breakfast; a neighbor making me dinner and delivering it when I returned late from work; not having to drive home after hanging out with friends especially in the winter; sitting around the bonfire roasting marshmallows; being able to say “Help, my computer is down” and my neighbor stops by; holding the babies and playing with the kids; putting out an email requesting a walking buddy and receiving about 10 responses by the next day; having a spontaneous water fight as we water the gardens; listening to the frogs, crickets and pheasants at night.
-Robin
My favorite part about living at Touchstone is the absence of judging. As parents we are constantly barraged with judgments from family, friends, other parents, coworkers and society at large. It was not until being welcomed into the Touchstone community that I even realized how incredibly suffocating all this judging has been for me. When I come home to Touchstone I feel a huge sense of relief knowing that I can be as I am, and parent as I know is best for our family. Something in the way cohousers approach one another creates this openness amongst neighbors. What a precious treasure in this challenging world!
-Keleigh
It is wonderful to have good neighbors who I am comfortable enough to drop in on and who look out for me. It feels like having an extended family living all around me.
-Laura
I like the fact that when my kids come home from school I don’t have to worry about them as much as I might if I were living elsewhere. I like it that I know almost 95% of my neighbors by their first name. I like the fact that I have real neighbors. Cohousing is like no other community I know.
-Mike
I loved it recently when three of us who live in the same building and all had birthdays within the same week decided to honor ourselves and each other with a birthday brunch at a nearby restaurant. Also, Sunday night suppers as a community are the BEST! Whether I am cooking, assisting, cleaning up, or just eating the great food, it is the high point of the week.
-Rusty
Teaching math facts informally to one of our bright, inquisitive four-year-olds and seeing the light bulb go on is fun — the teachable moments are everywhere. Living in a diverse community with all ages represented is stimulating for all of us.
-Stan
Touchstone is a welcoming community. After two months I knew everyone’s name! In the townhouse complex I where lived in Colorado, it was two years before I knew who most of the people were who lived across the street! Except for the people with dogs, I rarely saw my neighbors. I enjoy talking to the other Touchstone people as I come and go during the day. I especially like the tremendous resource we can be for each other. I asked for dentists and received 10 suggestions!
-Lyn
I like the variety of ages here. The community is friendly and helpful to newcomers. I like the views from my home. It is quiet since we live at the end of our street, yet a wide range of shopping is available only 5-10 minutes away.
-Betsy
Touchstone is special because of the people that make up this community. When I take out the trash and compost, the kids yell out “Hi, Emily!” I can step outside my door at 6:30 am and meet my walking buddies. On a day where I feel sad I can walk three doors down and cry on my neighbor’s shoulder. When I am lonely I can knock on any door and have a warm greeting. Dinners at the common house are always a fun occasion. It is like Thanksgiving every day with neighbors cooking to make an inexpensive meal to share. I am so lucky to live here with all these friendships.
-Emily
Being able to borrow coffee from a neighbor at 8 AM and enjoying Halloween with no worry about cars are two special treats for me is this community.
-Mary Beth
I love feeling part of a community that is like extended family.
-Mary Kay
When I came home from the hospital it was great to see a sign from the kid’s welcoming me back.
-Nelson
