The time is now..!

If you are struggling with communication, stress, anxiety, relationship or simply feeling overwhelmed; you do not have to go it alone.

- as seen in Psychology Today

Ron McCormack, LCSW

3128 O Street

279-786-6755 mccormack.therapy@gmail.com

Ronmccormacklcsw.com | $120/session explain what Geraghty and her new friends strive to overcome.

“In the wake of the pandemic,” the article says, “it can sometimes feel as though Americans have become more proudly reclusive, less open to the benefits of community.”

That seems on target, but not for this group. Jenny Palmer, one of the younger members, is a Sutter Health X-ray technician. “This reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in,” she says. “Everybody knew everybody. They took care of one another. I want that. It’s a wonderful way to live.”

There are around 180 cohousing communities in the United States.

Katie McCamant, a Nevada City architect, has helped plan and design about a third of them. With her former husband Charles Durrett, she is the cohousing movement’s undisputed leader.

“The ultimate bottom line of what attracts people to cohousing is the community,” she says. “Some people come to it through the lens of sustainability because we use fewer resources due to all the sharing. Some come through the social aspect.

“At the heart of it for me is that I feel very strongly that we need a new model for our neighborhoods. The rest of the world looks to the United States for the model and if the world follows the American subdivision example, we’re dead. There’s no fighting climate change if everyone lives in these sprawling neighborhoods without knowing your neighbor. We need a better model.”

And it’s nice to have someone help with the meals, she notes.

“That’s the real magic juice of cohousing, sitting down and having a meal with people you know. That really holds us together. It’s something humans have been doing forever.”

Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n