Awards Policy (Househol

[Nancy Wederstrandt]

        Having been in a wide variety of households, I have to say that I
really like them.  I have also been in groups where I haven't been in a
household and sometimes it is a struggle.  When I was younger I wasn't in
any household and a bunch of us single women would go on trips together or
sit together at feasts.
I also felt no problem asking friends if I could sit or camp with them.
Perhaps that's the trick.... asking.  If a person is my friend I don't mind
asking.  If I went to an event that I didn't know a lot of people and I
felt uncomfortable, I went and worked in the Kitchen or helped serve or did
scribal stuff.  (I guess I just avoided the problem that way.) But I met
new people so next time I went to an event I felt better.  There is no easy
solution, just maybe find a creative one.
        I like households because I feel that I always have someone that I
could hang around with or sit with.  Also we would mutually help each
other.  It's kinda like a family bond.  My household has gotten smaller
over the years for various reasons, but if anyone ever invited a non member
to sit with us, we went out of our way to try to make them feel welcome.
They were our guests.

Clare