Jacki's California Trip
A couple of weeks ago, I ventured away from Windward and took a trip down the coast into California. During my trip, I was able to visit my boyfriend, many close friends, and lots of family. The ultimate purpose behind my trip, however, was to visit my sister. She is a former Team Leader for the Western Division of Americorps NCCC, and her graduation from this program took place in mid-July. Being from Pennsylvania, the fact that the graduation ceremony was held just outside of Sacramento made the trip seem too short to pass up. Since I hadn't seen my sister in nearly a year, and because the ceremony was held relatively close to Windward, I knew that I was going to try my hardest to attend her graduation. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to try very hard.
Jacki and her sister at graduation
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One thing that makes Windward a great place to live is the fact that, at any given time, it is possible to take time off. The work is divided up here in such a way that if someone needs to take a vacation, or has outside responsibilities, their work is covered. At the same time that I left for California, Sarah took a break to visit her father in northern Washington. Walt is always saying "We need to be able to function with 50% of the people, 50% of the time." Meaning, if a couple people need to duck out for a week or so, it's perfectly fine. The rest of the community is able to pick up the work that we leave behind, and life goes on.
A sustainable community is pretty much useless if its members aren't happy. Constant work in the same place can lead to people becoming jaded and even burnt-out. This would result in unhappy people and a less productive Windward. A summer at Windward isn't a lot, especially when compared to how long full members like Walt, Gina and Todd have lived here, but at some point, though, everyone needs a break. Whether it's taking a morning bike ride down the Klickitat, a weekend visit up north, or a week-long jaunt around California, time away from Windward is vital. Without a doubt, the ability to do other things plays a major role in how content residents are, and ultimately, how successful Windward is.
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