A spontanious community

SELDOVIA
reflections, from Dark Fire

When I think of community I think of home... I think of Seldovia, Alaska with its cute little boardwalks, its piles of rusting cars (I might need them later!), its flowering cliffs and soggy winters. I think of the mish-mash of people who wound up there by fate or circumstance, and somehow managed to eek out an existance between the mountains and the sea. My mom recently reminded me that we don't have to drop smack-dab in the middle of a progressive, left-leaning community. People learn to tollerate, and even appreciate eachother when living in spontaneous, mixed communities. After reading her letter, and remembering the better points of growing up in a town with lots of oppinions, my eyes and heart were much more open to the towns that lay farther out from our cultural meccas. Here is her letter. I thought you all would enjoy it:

Just wanted to add a few thoughts. Yes, we were also wanderers in search of a home. For us, Seldovia was the great find. A real community. There were a bunch of people about our age from other parts of the country that arrived with us in '76 or '77. We became a sub community in the larger community. A great puzzlement to the old timers.

Think about the community that you grew up in. The larger community, and the community of friends who became our family here. The Chartiers, Corwins, Dillys, Walt and Sachiko, Dick, Jack and Winn, Patty Hanson and the Browns, John and Vivian, Kim and Leny, and others who came and went. I felt like I had lots of co-parents. Especially Lynn & Kirby, Jennifer, Winn, Alix & Dave, Donna Knowles, Sally Smith, Mike Efta, Jim Huff, Ken Streeter, even Susan Mumma. Really, the whole community. I am profoundly grateful to this place for providing space for me to grow up, and for helping us to raise strong, independant children. (you know, I was 23 when we moved here. I had lots of growing up to do.)

One of the greatest things for me (I grew up in a big city, remember) was to live in a community where everyone knows one another, where I brush shoulders at the post office and the grocery store with people from the entire social structure. There is no way for any sub group to truely isolate itself from the other groups. Hippies grow to know and love (or at least tolerate) the red necks. Not that we all get along all the time, but we all want what's best for our kids. Even Honeybee who sat next to me at the counter in the Tide Pool and extolled the warm and wonderful feeling of seeing "all of our kids drinking together in the bar...it was soo sweet to see them all there". Then, she realized who she was talking to and assured me that nobody was drinking too much. I know what she's talking about. It is fun to see the kids grown up. I have a lingering concern about excessive alcohol consumption that she understands.

I'm rambling. Just wanting to talk about communities. We also sought to raise our own food, but were not farmers. I'm getting better at it. The Chartiers and Dilly's actually succeeded in raising or hunting most of their food. A huge job. I always admired that.

And all of those good, strong intentions don't protect from the fact that some people will try the life out and find they don't like it......they want more time for recreation than is possible in a subsistance situation, or they want a more varied social setting, or they get a religion that doesn't fit, or relationships fall apart, or they get sick or they want something else. Life happens and, as you well know, things change suddenly. Stay flexible.

I have no doubts that you can pull this off. Just like at the kitchen, you'll get things going, and have to adjust to realities as they arise. And you will be able to. Remember that you have lots of strong experience with "community". Remember your core values. Compromise when you can, and don't forget who you are.

Remember we love you.

Mom
(dede higman)








This is my dad's shop on Seldovia bay