Stumbled across the Cottage Company today, and was intrigued by some of their architectural projects focused on the social as well as the physical. They have been around since at least 1995, and specialize in something called “pocket neighborhoods.” I believe these will be an important piece for future developments as the world moves away from a car-centric economy.

When I first saw Ross Chapin’s designs of the 5 little houses (750-900 square feet) circling an open garden space, it made me think of the TV show LOST - a little neighborhood village once owned by the workers of the Dharma Initiative, now called “New Otherton”. I have to admit, I was a little confused at who might want to live in such a Walt Disney world. But as I read through this article, I began to see the benefits of having your own space, and yet sharing common space.

Each neighborhood is set up in caldisac/bungalo court fashion (but the pavement is replaced with low fences, vegetable and flower gardens, and a playground for the kids), with 6-8 homes all facing the common area.

There is less inside space, which means people are on front porches more. It also means owning less - like this guy and his 100-Thing challenge. There is no garage door for people to sneak home in their SUVs and shut behind them. A lot of the privatization inherent in owning your own home today is taken away, but there is still plenty of private space - for instance, the bedrooms/bathrooms are facing away from the common area, but the living rooms are positioned towards it.

This kind of life is nothing new - monasteries have been designing communities like this since at least the 5th century, and maybe even further back. It speaks to the rhythms of life - the need for privacy, and the need for community.

I think America could benefit from seeing this new kind of “mini-suburb” pop up all across the landscape. Its much smaller and cheaper housing (which helps in the sub-prime mortgage woes), it offers instant babysitter opportunities, more locally grown food (savings and taste abound), and those who already live in one of these dozen or so communities across the country is that their need for privacy is not violated, and that their sense of security and safety has dramatically increased!

Community is not all bliss and no woe - we learned a lot about communal living when my wife and I moved into an Abbey about two years ago, only to move out 8 months later. Still, we wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, and I think it gives us yet another picture of how to make friends in a tragically lonely America.

What are your honest thoughts about this? I’d love to hear more perspectives on potential pitfalls and unique opportunities. Who out there is attempting anything like this? Give us your insight.

I’ve been thinking as we’ve been unpacking boxes, arranging/rearranging/re-rearranging (gotta love it) the furniture. I’ve been thinking specifically about what it takes to see catalytic innovation.

Katrina and I are in the business of innovation. She’s an artist and I’m some edgy church planter. Whatever, that’s cool I guess. But its deeper than just what we’re doing. It’s our spirit - our strength - the ‘there’s always another way’ spirit - the way we approach life itself.

The entrepreneurial seed that has been planted in our hearts is beginning to take root. It comes out in how we research the city, go about setting up bills, arranging (and rearranging) our house, getting an income…my friends make fun of me for the “get rich quick” schemes I tell them about. One of these days I’ll make good on one of my ideas, then they’ll be sorry!

The point is, it seems that this spirit of innovation comes standard in the Willis family as of late. It’s so cool to see it emerging in Katrina. I never know what she’s going to discover next, and I’m learning to respect her ideas and intuitions, even when it conflicts with my own. She’s a genius and a wonder with concepts, networking, and communication. The world is never going to be the same because of her.

But what drives innovation? How do we aid and enable that spirit already inside of us to grow? Besides good, caring mentors, it seems it takes the following:

Lack of Resources + Increase of Passion = Exponential Innovation

Most great ideas are born out of a resource dearth. Many ideas die because the genius who came up with them was either too busy too scared or to cynical to pull it off. That’s why the innovative seed must sprout in a soil that is desperate for change, but there must be a mind that is willing to cultivate that dream with the same passion and fury that propels the survival of a species, or the determination of a predator. He/she/they must be relentless in their pursuit of their goals, doing whatever it takes (innovation) in order to see them accomplished.

Once again I find myself in my favorite coffee shop, the Mud House here in Springfield, MO. I don’t know what it is about this place; its one of the only places I can people-watch AND get some quality time in with my laptop or a good book. This is a place of peace for me - I know that I could pay this place’s light bill if I lived here.

On our holiday trip we’ve had some great conversations with family - with subjects ranging from Chicago plans (or plans still in the making) to living life with forgiveness and acceptance at the center of our lives. Both sides of our family have been through major traumas, and everyone (from great-grandparents to the newborns) have been drastically affected. Trina and I have found ourselves mainly as listeners, counselors, and coaches to our own family, and it has been extremely healing for us. We too need to be listened to. We too need to make peace with our family, and to be restful and REAL with who we are as an extended family together.

While most of this year has been jam-packed with life-altering forks in the road, the majority of this life is filled with moments like this. The simple movements of life that require little more than keeping our eyes open to where we are at the moment. Living honestly as we enjoy a cup of coffee, sitting quietly over in a corner of a busy coffeehouse. While we may have revolutionary dreams, those are the punctuations of a much longer sentence in our lives.

Right now at the end of 2007, I’m just thankful to be spending time here in a warm, enjoyable coffee shop, with little else to think about but rest, rejuvenation, and Christ’s re-birth in our hearts. This is Christmas after all. Cheers.

I’ll get back to talking about brain dumping again soon. I promise.
In the meantime, I want to share with you a little Christmas cheer. The other day I had my good friend Jennifer over. She was telling me about how she is planning on heading to meet with family for Christmas. Apparently, her parents rank at the top of the stack for dreamers at Christmas time. They want it all - -and they send her an itemized list prior to the holidays, so she can prepare… and save up her money.

Well, this year, she decided to buy them a llama. “A LLAMA?!?” You heard me right: a llama. I could hardly contain myself. Her logic went something like this, “Well, Katrina… It generously helps a family in the south, and it cost about the same amount of money I would have spent on them, and if they complain about it, they’ll have to live with themselves… it’s great.”

Needless to say, I could barely stop laughing out loud. At first, I thought she had physically bought them a pet. Then she mentioned Heifer International. She proceeded to describe a little toy llama she had bought for her family as well. “I’ll put in a box with a card, so they’ll have something tactile.” Brilliant. And the heifer website gives you a printout of the gift you’ve purchased, too. It’s great.

I knew about Heifer before this, but I never connected it with Christmas time. It’s great if you’re doing some last minute shopping. You don’t have to walk into any stores— you just print the card and hand it over. And it’s a great conversation piece. Merry Christmas!

Katrina here. Blog #2. I was painting a young lady this afternoon downtown, and I noticed she was staring off into the buildings. I asked her what she was thinking about and she said, “I’m trying not to.” What a profound statement! We conjured up a business proposition: contemplative prayer meets fine art. Hmmmm… (It’s more like performance art, I suppose…) The question on many brains that needs attention is “HOW does one dump their brain clutter?” So, let’s talk about how to clear your brain. Well the parts are not difficult to understand, and naturally, this will look different for different people. I don’t have a recipe, but I have been trying some things. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Learn to trust more

2. Take your time, be graceful with yourself

3. Only say what you intend to do / only say what you mean

4. Do what you say / mean what you say

5. Be diligent (ask, seek and knock)

6. The door will open

Transparent Practicality — Here is what this has looked like for me. I haven’t perfected this at all, and this may only work for a season, but here is where I am at the moment. As I mentioned in my last post, I have just read David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Armchair Mystic by Mark Thibodeaux. And as Mark mentioned in the comments, these books seem quite opposed at first glance — one is about efficiency and the other is about the art of being. Doing vs. being. Are they really at odds?

I would venture to say that the art of being and contemplative prayer are a means to efficiency. I get much more accomplished when I am fully aware of my surroundings and my time than when I am quickly rushing from one thing to the next. I am also a nerd/geek. I love technology. I was taking apart computer hardware with my mom as a young girl while other girls were playing with Barbie dolls. So here is a tool I’ve been using to dump my brain. It’s a tool I’ve had to come to learn to use, and I like it. (And ultimately, true security is only found with God, and if it falls apart for some reason, I trust that He will provide and take care of me.) The tool is Toodledo, a free online software that manages tasks and assigns them priority. I use it in conjunction with Google Calendar. (You can see the little green checkbox next to the weather icons.) Here is a screen shot:

I like the fact that I can sit down to the checklist, take five minutes and dump everything that needs to get done (with a priority level and due date, if needed).

I used to do the same thing with checklists on pencil and paper, but I always dropped it because I would lose the checklist, and I was tired of transferring all of the tasks that I didn’t do onto a new sheet — I felt like a failure. Ultimately, I didn’t really trust the process either. I didn’t trust that I would do what I had said I would do.

Now, I use Toodledo as a referral point and a sacred space. By placing these things in this “silo”, my mind is like water. If I don’t intend to workout that day, I won’t write it on there! The only way this works is if I make the tool an authentic representation of what I truly desire and need to do. Otherwise a great deal of time and resources has been wasted. Once I’ve dumped those action items, I don’t think about them again (until it’s time for me to think about them). The process has been freeing and helpful.
This tool is one helpful lifestyle change that has really brought me peace of mind. Everyone’s approach will look slightly different. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions or examples of what this looks like for you.

What about brain noise resulting from non-task based items? Like philosophical concerns or relationships? See you for the next post.