One of the arguments I hear for cohousing is the fact that your neighbors can give you a lift.  Yes, that’s true. I drove a few people to their car appointments and vice versa.  One neighbor even brought me to the hospital when my friend tried to kill me. Not really but this is what happened.

It was an essentials oils party. We put it on our skin. We smelled it. We ate it on popcorn. That’s when everything went horribly wrong. I started to cough. I left soon and felt worse and worse.If only I had Benadryl in my purse I wouldn’t have had to go to the hospital but I had never had an allergic reaction before in my life. Shrimp makes me throw up so that’s a different type of reaction.

My neighbor was kind enough to drop me off at the hospital and bring my youngest son out to dinner since he hadn’t eaten.  

Yet I never needed this part of cohsoung. I always had my sister and mother nearby. We drove each other. Then my oldest son grew up and he was available for rides too. One time I went out walking too late and the pitch black streets scared me. He picked me up. I was on a walk because the cohousing community wanted to witch burn me and then I couldn’t call them when I was alone in the dark.  

Now I live in a regular neighborhood. The car repair shop drops me off and picks me up (the one I found takes days each time for some reason anyhow so I suppose they have to).  It’s free.  When my car was towed I had to pay a cab but I had just moved in and didn’t know anyone.

The other day I was walking along the beach when I saw lightning. I can’t walk quickly on sand and I’m terrified of a strike that can travel miles.  I called my new neighbor. They jumped in their car and picked me up, sand on my feet and all.

So, if you need a ride, there are many options. Not just cohousing or intentional communities.