By Lise Stoessel
There are so many reasons why the Cville TimeBank is just right. From facilitating skill sharing across our community to building an infrastructure for an alternative economy, Timebanking rocks! As a (non)recovering Hippie, I have dreamed of utopian societies for decades. I even started a small communiversity back in the early 80s. I am also a natural networker; it’s just in my cells. When someone talks about something they need, I sort of file it in the back of my brain and then days or weeks later, when someone else randomly mentions the correlating offer, I get the two connected.
So when I saw an ad for the new Cville TimeBank on Facebook, I jumped on it. I was a little slow out of the gate with offers and requests, but now, after a series of fun exchanges, I’m on it.
One of my first requests for assistance was answered by Shell’s offer to help with gardening. Our front yard had been badly neglected and though I had good intentions of spending my summer reclaiming it, it had just gotten too daunting. My injured back, coupled with the July heat, made prospects of long hours pulling weeds look pretty unappealing. But, it had to get done. So I perused the list of offers and found Shell’s listing. I thought that, working together, I could guide her around the plants that were righteous, and we could get a good chunk done.
Shell rode up on her bike, tools in tow and a bright smile on her face. We’d planned an early session so as to avoid the hottest part of the day and she arrived right on time. We got right to work, digging here, yanking there. You could almost hear the flowers breathe a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t long before Shell and I started chatting about our lives and our work. Turned out that she and I had more in common than our shared interest in gardening (and the fact that she knew one of my daughters!). I teach Nursery at the Waldorf School and Shell teaches a little co-op homeschool-preschool. She was intrigued by what she’d heard about Waldorf education so she asked if we could visit my classroom as another time exchange. Sure thing!
Shell came to my classroom some weeks later and I gave her a tour as well as a little orientation to the philosophy behind what we do in Waldorf education.
So, we have Cville TimeBank to thank for a new friendship, a happier garden and some new insights into early education. Way to make connections! Thank you, Cville TimeBankers!
Cville TimeBank 