The hermiting must stop. We aren't crabs.

I've been pondering the concept of "finding my tribe" lately. I have no tribe, no group of like-minded families, no neighbor kids for Silas to play with, no local kindred spirits. I have a couple of good friends that I truly love and appreciate with all of my heart, but they don't have kids, they don't plan to have kids...

And in true Jasie fashion, I've over-analyzed the whole situation more times than I can count. I don't just need other moms to talk to, that isn't enough for me. I don't just need other homeschoolers to talk to, that's closer, but still no cigar. I need some hardcore, unschooling, unconditional parenting families who live nearby. I need a safe space. A group where I won't be all nervous and scared... oh who am I kidding? Nervous and scared are my default settings. I can't change that overnight. I just need to put myself out there and figure out the lay of the land.

So... this morning I called a local woman who is committed to child-led learning - only to find out that she is moving really soon. Damn. But she pointed me in the direction of some like-minded locals who I might jive with. I even joined a Yahoo group. This is big. I also found out that there is an intentional community of families co-housing less than a mile from here, including a couple of unschooling families. Seriously? How did I not know about this? Maybe because I was hermiting instead of branching out... Ya think?

Maybe I can finally break out of my shell and get Silas some playmates and get myself some much needed adult conversation. I love that I've found people who get what I'm all about online, but as I've talked about before, I'm severely lacking in face time with people outside of Silas and Seth. So often it feels like it's us against the world and I'm getting really tired of that. Not just tired, but downright exhausted. I don't want to become guarded and defensive and militant in my daily interactions with people. I need to be able to sit down with a cup of coffee and just riff with people who know what the hell I'm talking about, while our kids run around like wild animals.

I need it. Deep within my bones. And if I can't find it on the first try - I'll keep trying. And if that doesn't pan out, I'll create what I'm not finding. I'm on a serious mission here.