Austin & Leela
Austin Bruce
In 1947 Austin, Texas, was a sweet spot for arriving on the planet. As a child, I lived in a variety of other places around the country, but Austin was always my hometown. All my adult life I lived in Austin amidst a large and loving extended family. Then in 2007 it was time for a change. After some casting about, Leela and I found Corvallis. Both the town and the cohousing community attracted us. So after some soul searching, we resolved to uproot ourselves. It was an auspicious move.
I have an adult daughter, Iola, from a former marriage. She works as a wild-land fire ecologist for the National Parks Service. Leela and I have been together since 1989 (married in 1993), and my years with her have been the best of my life. We have a yellow-headed Amazon parrot named Ava (hatched in 1982).
For 30 years, I made a living as a writer of technical manuals, training scripts, and advertising and promotional material. I'm mostly retired from that now and am looking forward to other endeavors, including my own writing projects.
I'm an avid reader and writer. By nature writers tend to be curious about everything. History, historical fiction, and science fiction are special interests, but evocative writing on any subject can bring me to tears. I'm a long-time member of Toastmasters, an international organization with local clubs just about everywhere whose members support one another in becoming better public speakers and leaders. I'm usually vegetarian. I'm physically active. I thrive on walking and dancing. I'm pretty good on the congas and other hand drums.
I was attracted to the cohousing concept because of the balance between private and community life. Also appealing is the commitment to maintaining a vibrant community through working together on common goals. The emphasis that the cohousing movement places on healthy communication seems a good antidote to the kind of insular anonymity that sometimes prevails even in the nicest neighborhoods. And I'm delighted to be living among so many interesting, engaging, and socially active people. I feel blessed!
Leela
In 1956, as Elvis was climbing the charts, I was dancing around in my mama's belly to my own music. I've been dancing around ever since. I sprouted in Southern Illinois, oldest of four siblings, in a family enthralled with the wonders of nature. My parents were (and still are) dedicated gardeners, growing and preserving much of their own food and many flowers. While I was much too energetic to sit still and fish, I spent our many family fishing trips exploring and discovering flora and fauna. My sibs and I brought home every critter we could get our hands on. My interest in growing things continues to this day and my garden in Austin once won a xeriscape award.
When I was around 14 or 15 years old, the director of youth ministry at our church instructed us to read Theodore Rozak's "The Making of a Counter Culture" for summer camp, and it forever changed my life. Because no one else read the book, the lesson plans were scrapped and I had no one to discuss it with, so I spent time at the library reading Alan Watts and other writers Rozak introduced in the book. These discoveries lead to an intense interest, in and appreciation of, many different religious and philosophical points of view. Once I escaped to a big university, my world exploded as I found many interesting people to talk with, meditation, massage, dance, and healing. I didn't want to just think about and debate the new perspectives I discovered, I wanted to live them. I took a class on intentional communities and knew that one day I would live in one. I spent much of my twenties living in spiritual communities in the SF bay area, India, and Washington DC. I was always drawn to meditation techniques that involve movement and dance.
In the eighties, I moved to Austin, Texas, where I did odd jobs to support my compulsion to dance. I studied Afro-Brazilian, postmodern/authentic movement, and contact improvisation. When realized I needed to get a real career, I worked my way through a Masters in Nursing doing massage therapy at a residential treatment center. Right before I began school, I met the love of my life, Austin Bruce. We spent the money I had saved up for school on the down payment for a fixer-upper in a funky Austin neighborhood and made a beautiful, happy home, and many friends there. Austin supported me through all the tears of math anxiety and hospital nursing classes. I have worked in public health nursing, and spent the past six and a half years working for the UT School of Nursing's Community Women's Wellness Center doing breast and cervical cancer screening and health education. Twelve years ago, I became a devoted student of the Nia Technique, a body mind spirit fitness program. I have been teaching Nia for the past 7 years and am a black-belt certified instructor. Nia is a practice that brings together dance, awareness, and intentional living. It makes me stronger, smarter, healthier, and more alive than I have ever been, and I am so fortunate to be able to share all of this with Austin Bruce (who also loves to dance).
Most spiritual communities are not based on a democratic model. Being born and raised a democrat, I felt repressed by my inability to give input to decisions made by the folks charged with running the communities I lived in as a youth. I feel excited to be a part of the consensus process at Coho and I am grateful for the opportunity to live in a community of people doing their best to practice NVC. I have much to learn and I feel thankful for so many willing teachers. I also feel delighted about having so many little kid neighbors! Let the fun begin!
