Author: KKinCville

Hey, Timebankers! I’ve had the topic of asking for what you want on my mind recently in conversations with friends and also on the Timebank member Facbebook forum. I’ve been hearing that some folks find it hard to ask for what they want- and that some even find it hard to admit that they want (or need) anything at all.

I’m here to remind you that Timebank relies on people making offers AND REQUESTS and to encourage you to go ahead and ask for that thing that’s been on your mind that you haven’t posted.

I also found an interesting article: 7 Keys to Asking For What You Really Want (So You Can Get It!) in Forbes Magazine online. Here are the pared down and slightly paraphrased bullet points with my notes in italics.

Cheers!

1.  Don’t assume others are mind readers. Other Timebankers don’t know what you need unless you post a request.

2.  Be bold in what you ask for (don’t dilute!). Ask for what you really want. You never know what might happen.

3.  Be specific about what you want and when you want it.

6.  Ditch the martyr act. No fair complaining that your life is too busy when you have 30 unused Timebank hours and haven’t asked for anything!

7.  Don’t make ‘no’ mean more than it does.

– Cathy Butler

Are you one of those people with a long to-do list that nags at you like a little demon sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear: “Get away from that TV! Get up and DO something!!”?  I am one of those people (though admittedly, the TV is not my weakness, the computer is…).

Well, help is on the way in the form of TimeBank! Among the many RIGHT things about TimeBank is the almost magical way that it helps you whittle down that to-do list.  Case in point: our Garden Mob yesterday.

Emil and I have had a veggie garden in our backyard forever (it was actually there when we bought our house).  In recent years, with the kids grown and moved away, it’s been harder to muster the energy to clear it out in the spring.  Enter TimeBank and the problem is solved!  I rallied 3 happy helpers and in two hours our garden went from Weed Wasteland to Grower’s Glory!  Have a look at our before and after pics!

Here are some tips on how to plan a Garden Mob at your place:

• Set a date at least 3 weeks in advance. Sunday afternoons seem to suit a lot of people’s schedules. Two hours is a good, manageable chunk of time.
• Post an announcement on the TimeBank homepage listing the day, time, and other pertinent info. (Join our Grubby Gardeners group and you can also post an announcement directly to other members!)
• If you don’t get as many helpers as you’d like, go to the home page, click on offers, and then “garden/yard” and see who’s posted offers for gardening help. Contact each one with a message.
• You might also (as I did) look through new member profiles and solicit anyone who looks like they might be interested, with a message.  Group projects like this are a great way to help newbies get connected.
• Get back to your crew a few days ahead of time with a reminder letting them know your address and phone number.

Day of:

• gather your tools, compost/manure, seedlings

  

• providing drinking water and a simple snack is always appreciated (see photo)
• have a camera ready and take before, during and after pictures!

Everyone feels a great sense of accomplishment after a group effort like this. You can really see results.

“Mobs” like this are also a wonderful way to get to know other folks from the TimeBank!  Digging in the dirt together allows ample time for conversation. Lots of info and expertise gets shared while you’re rooting around in the… well, roots.  For instance a tidbit from yesterday: did you know that tilling isn’t necessarily a good thing for your garden??

There’s yet another TimeBank bonus to this story: member Stephanie K. posted an offer back in February for help with starting plants for the spring.  So we’ve got little plantlets all ready to plunk into our soil!

Big thanks to Wendy (sorry we missed you in the photo!), Lizzie and Anita for helping us get our garden ready for this year’s bounty.  Hooray for Spring and Hooray for TimeBank!

From Cville TimeBank member, J., this wonderful testimonial to the power of community:

“I sustained a traumatic brain injury in early 2013, and as is the nature of such injuries, I lost some processing skills.  In my case, (among other things) my math abilities regressed to about a 4th grade level.  Charlottesville does not have cognitive therapy resources available for someone able to function to the extent that I can, so when it was time for me to get back to working with my budget I was at a loss of how to take the raw data I knew I had and turn it into something useful.

I placed a request under “Miscellaneous” for “help with basic logic” with the Charlotttesville Time Bank. Someone wiling to take time to explain basic concepts (and, perhaps more notably, have patience with my frustration when I would hit a cognitive wall and need to take a break from the task at hand) responded, and I was able to make notes as we went so with my newly forgetful mind, I am still able to refer back to them.

Where there is a gap in services, there are Time Bank members with the ability and willingness to fill in.  Online tutoring was not an option, and leaving the area to work with conventional cognitive rehabilitation would have been expensive in both federal currency and in time.  Through Time Bank, I was able to get the help I desperately needed in return for giving rides around town to others.  That, my friends, is community!”

When I first mentioned that a timebank was starting in Charlottesville, Toan Nguyen was eager to learn details.  If you live in or near Charlottesville, you probably know Toan as the owner of Cville Coffee, but he has all ten fingers firmly imbedded in multiple community pies.  He’s always eager to help get projects off the ground, eagerly embracing new ideas and grass-roots movements.

When I mentioned to Toan that the Cville TimeBank was beginning to explore how businesses and organizations could become members, and the mechanics of how that would work — Toan excused himself for a minute, and returned in a flash with his checkbook.  Most people who join the timebank love the idea of a community, sharing their time, skills, and interests with each other, but it’s sometimes hard for a business to begin thinking of our service exchange as an investment in their community.  Not Toan.  That realization was instantaneous.

The Cville TimeBank has held two member socials and a film screening at Cville Coffee, and Toan has graciously offered space to hold these functions.  So when Toan signed Cville Coffee up as a member, I wanted to know what he might need from us.  (Remember that core value of reciprocity?)  Right away, he suggested a project that he’d postponed for too long: rejuvenating the planter boxes on the coffee shop’s patio.  Yeah — it was time.  The plants were alive (barely), but they were far from thriving, and over the years, the planters had been used as ashtrays and trashcans more than once.  And Toan had neither the time nor the inclination to select plants and replant them.  Would the timebank take it on?  Absolutely!

We put out the word to the membership, and on May 15, we held a member social and planting party at Cville Coffee.  Members were asked to contribute a couple of bedding plants, and Toan reimbursed the purchase of fresh potting mix. That evening, members began to arrive, with cuttings and bedding plants galore! (Have I mentioned that we have quite a few green-thumbed members?)  TimeBank member Stephanie K. stepped up as planting coordinator, and within minutes, a flurry of soil and shovels descended upon the patio.  And the best part?

The planters are now overflowing with beautiful plants, herbs and flowers — a mosaic of colors and scents.  See how it works?  We get what we need when we use what we have.                                           — Kathy Kildea

Cville TimeBank member Andrea posts about her recent lighting project, made easier with the help of Todd:

I have really enjoyed the Cville TimeBank thus far.  I have helped a couple of people with spring cleaning and taken a look at resumes or had nice conversations through messages, but what really struck me is how willing and skilled other members are.

I hated the track lighting in my condo since I purchased it nearly 5 years ago, but did not know how to paint or replace it.  I posted a service ad for a member to come over for recommendations and suggestions with intentions of completing the project myself after guidance. Todd replied quickly and came over within a couple of days fully prepared (tape measure, pencil, and probably a couple of other tools in tow).  He gave me a lot of suggestions about lighting styles, but I especially appreciated that he spent time asking what I was hoping for, how I use the rooms, etc. He told me several places in town where I could shop for the type of lights I was looking for, and also even looked around my place for other ways I could install new and better lighting. During our discussion, he told me about his background and that he could install whatever I purchased, if I decided not to do it myself.

I scoured the internet again after getting his feedback and found lights that met my needs. When they arrived, I still intended on installing them myself. However, after taking them out of the box, I realized I really did not feel comfortable taking down the old lights myself or connecting wires for the new ones so I sent another message to Todd. He came over that week with all of the necessary tools and installed
them with much less effort, stress, and time it would have taken me.  He even patched areas around the track where bits of the ceiling had fallen out from loosening the old track.

Todd was obviously skilled in this area and was willing to help and address my particular needs and space. I love the new lights and am so happy each time I turn them on that I did not install them myself!

Thanks, Todd and  Cville TimeBank!

-Andrea M.