Meet Mary and Lucas

Our most recent members Mary and Lucas are relocating from New Hampshire. The above photo was taken just days after they joined Washington Commons and we can see that they are very happy. While we have speculated that cohousing can cause bouts of joy, Mary offers, "The trolls are magical."  

Welcome, Mary and Lucas, and your connection to magic. We are so happy you chose Washington Commons for your next "living in community" chapter.

Read their first person accounts of their journey to cohousing and West Sacramento:

Lucas:  To continue to grow in loving kindness is most important to me. Apart from life with Mary, I haven’t felt much sense of belonging since I left the LGBT community in Iowa City in the 1980s, and belonging is a big part of what drew me to cohousing and intentional community. I also feel drawn to social justice, diversity and the environment. I care a lot about reversing climate change, and have cut my carbon footprint in half this decade. Cutting it in half again next decade will be more challenging, and impossible while living in a single-family home!
 
Initially I was thrown by the prices of the units at Washington Commons and by what seemed like a lack of diversity. Further research showed me that housing prices everywhere are quite high, and costs in CA are about 15% higher than in NH, where we live now. I called Shelly Parks, who was so friendly, and introduced Mary and me virtually to several members of Washington Commons community, each of whom is friendly and intriguing, and more diverse than they may at first appear in photos.
 
On a more personal note, I play several musical instruments at the beginner or rusty intermediate level, and like the physical feeling of playing cello especially. I like to walk in the woods or along water, to ride my bike on errands and, when possible, to work. After 30 years as a family practice doc, I am switching to palliative care, drawn by the enriching conversations I have with patients who face serious illness.

Mary: I’m Mary, and I’ve been involved in community for a long time. I’m the eldest of seven children, joined a convent when I was nineteen, left when I was 39, and then helped found a community of women writers in 2000. Joining Washington Commons seems like a great way to deepen the joy I feel when interacting with others.

I love my work as a Humanist Celebrant, creating personalized ceremonies for life’s important moments: weddings, funerals, divorces, gender affirmations — whatever anyone would like to celebrate! I wrote An Unquenchable Thirst about my experience in the community founded by Mother Teresa, and also participated in the podcast The Turning: The Sisters who Left. Though I feel like I’m done telling this story, a television series based on the memoir and podcast is now in development.

Like Luke, I’m looking forward to living in a walkable, bike-able community, and I’ve been impressed with the friendly care, personable respect, and the specialized skill of keeping meetings short and to the point that I’ve seen in our interactions with folks from Washington Commons.