So you are looking over the conference schedule and reading through all the amazing information you are going to receive in Saturday’s sessions. You are wondering whether it is worth the added time and expense to attend a half-day or full-day session on Friday. Here are my top five reasons for attending intensives in addition to the Saturday sessions.

A storyteller, a photographer and an architect walk into a bar . . . or maybe it is a common house. They are joined by a teacher, a lawyer, a developer, a farmer, an activist, a mother, an artist, a grandchild, a musician, and a whole bunch of other cool people. They hug and laugh and reminisce and introduce themselves to each other. They teach each other new things and contemplate old problems. They are friendly, warm and so very wise. Every one of them is committed to living in community, to caring for others, and to sharing the resources they have.