In our present time of information overload and violent world conflicts, it seems like the accusations between authentic news and fake news is never ending. So, we decided to join the fray with a salacious headline that we expect will come true this May 19-21 at the 2017 National Cohousing Conference in Nashville!

We’ll launch into a celebration of this housing model straight from Denmark. Everything about cohousing will be exposed to whomever decides to join and learn about how to build one and live in one right there in the hotel! You’ll enjoy the learning and fun.

Cohousing is the wave of the future. There’s no doubt many more will be built as many will be needed by individuals and families seeking a lifestyle to buffer themselves from the modern stresses.

In the last year and a half of living in Germantown Commons, I am surprised at how much I have learned about cohousing. Observing it from the outside is totally different from the living experience on a day to day basis.

I am reminded of late one night when ambulance lights began flashing around my room from the lights coming through the blinds, and the first time that I was aware that ‘one of us’ was at risk. Coming immediately out of sleep, the thought was about ‘we’ and not me or them. As it turned out ‘we’ were okay after a day in the hospital to get checked out. And, as soon as all of ‘we’ discovered this had happened, ‘we’ streamed through the hospital with visits, calls and texts to make sure that ‘we’ were all okay. It was an absolute that ‘we’ were in this all together.

Of all the little and large things I have learned about cohousing in the last few years of being involved with building community and building buildings, it was in that very moment that I realized I was a part of something bigger than myself. And, that realization gave me pause to marvel over this new way of living.

But it’s not just this one community, we are also part of a greater ‘we’. This was observed right after we opened our common house over a year ago. We had a delightful number of cohousers visit from around the country. New aspiring cohousers visited us from as far away as the northeast U.S. And all the way down to the panhandle of Florida.

Then, there was my brother and his wife who were planning to travel northeast to watch their young college-age son play sports. They were looking for nearby accommodations only to find exorbitant prices. I thought about the cohousing communities in the area who might provide a room at a reasonable cost. The cohousing ‘we’ are in that area, too.

‘We’ are all over the U.S. from sea to shining sea, and internationally as well. The number of cohousing communities is growing steadily and expected to do so in greater numbers in the near future. I am reminded from the movie, ‘A New We’ that it’s a movement, with a real cultural shift, that is taking place.

So, ‘we’ are inviting you to attend the 2017 National Cohousing Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, May 19-21st. If you’re just starting out as a community, there’s a whole lot that will be exposed about this new housing model. Having been involved for about six years and still evolving with understanding, I can assure you that the learning is endless.

If you’ve lived in cohousing for years and know a lot from experience then ‘we’ need you here, too. Sitting at the dining table in casual conversations with new startups or in sessions giving your input will be valuable. Having attended a few conferences myself, I can say there has been some real wisdom exposed by the veterans of cohousing communities. And, even casual conversations with new friends over meals delivered some of the best and most beneficial wisdom.

Besides the learning and growing ‘we’ will be doing together, Nashville is a fun place. On Friday, as everyone is arriving, you can expect to hear laughter and music, too. There just might be a jam session in the lounge near the lobby, so bring your musical instruments, join the party and get even more exposure.

‘We’ will be making music and history together in Nashville, Music City! Join us!