whales on the bed, community living

The whale stickers remind me of the time with Cary and her whale friends at SeaWorld.

Bedtime has gotten to be hard. Last week, our downstairs neighbor pounded on the ceiling two nights in a row when Marcello was up late sick, making me especially uptight about any sounds of dropping or moving furniture. I know this has changed our comfort level, and nights have become a struggle to sleep. More stories, cut my nails, and more juice are all delay tactics. So last night I tried to introduce the idea of sleeping like Ccs together. We fell asleep eventually.

From what I understand, whales swim in pods and many are matriarchal. I know much of this from conversations with Cary. My Aunt Bobbi, Cary's mom, was a brilliant community builder and activist. She was a truly visionary urban planner (& before the term existed). I clearly remember her humor and her take charge attitude, even though it has been 25 years since the end of her long struggle with cancer. She knit her family and community together.

It seems that my note to my neighbor had an effect. She is no longer banging at night. However, my behavior has been changed...I would like to be an agent of change and continue to create community in my building as much as I can.