Acres and acres of ....

Recently RantWoman was served up queries in tiny print. Yes, Of COURSE, the phrase "queries in tiny print" will send everyone on a journey to exotic Planet RantWoman. Back to that in a moment. First, something that went right only RantWoman was LATE and missed it and then the queries.

RantWoman DEEPLY appreciates it when people go around a room for instance at adult ed and say their names. Especially if someone does not speak except at the beginning, RantWoman deeply appreciates recognizing voices and then perhaps beign able to ask about events we both just participated in. On the occasion of the queries in tiny print, intros occurred before RantWoman arrived. THANK YOU FRIENDS anyway!

The queries were, drum roll, either thunderous silence or booming timpani please:

What brings you joy in worship?

The process of Friends gathering and settling

New voices

Gurgling infants

People's Quaker experiences

People on RantWoman's frequent flyer list who resist  the thought of ministry long enough for their usual messages to come up in other voices.

People on RantWoman's Frequent Flyer list who defy Eye Roller friend's leadings toward prophecy and deviate noticeably from their usual message repetitions.

Fond references to Friends now long deceased, especially when the references come with enough flavor for newcomers also to appreciate people they would never have known.

Stirring ministry even in unconventional forms. Stay tuned for details.

What interferes.... ( we mean besides queries in tiny print)?

RantWoman is pretty versatile and can almost always find a path to worship.

Or RantWoman is lying through her teeth and will need to contemplate this query at length another time because RantWoman is feeling called to go on at length on the journey to exotic Planet RantWoman

If you are going to kill trees to print queries in the first place, then for Pete's sake make at least SOME of the copies large print! 18 - 22 point thrills RantWoman! RantWoman catches enough other comments about difficulty seeing though that anything large than the usual 11 point will probably make others happy too. Oh, and if you are going to hand out things in tiny print with huge amounts of white space, then you have NO DANG Excuse for not making the print larger. If you do not know how to make things larger, RantWoman is happy to offer suggestions.

RantWoman is also fine with just having the queries read once for everyone. That is many people look at the queries over and over, but if RantWoman cannot do that easily, RantWoman is perfectly FINE with everyone else having the same read it aloud  experience. RantWoman is perfectly FINE with this but does not necessarily recommend it on account of people with hearing loss who mostly DO seem to have better experiences if they have something to read. RantWoman definitely also does not mind having something she can read over and over ...

And speaking of hearing loss and sounds,

1. RantWoman is aware of her many sounds, clinking keys, chattery squirrels on steroids phone voice--and not contained in earphones. RantWoman does NOT apologize. For one things the keys keep her from running into other blind people at least sometimes. For another thing, RantWoman COULD use earphones more than she does. RantWoman actually hates earphones and is not always as generously accommodating about others sound preferences as MIGHT be desirable. Hold that problem in the Light.

2. RantWoman on the same occasion of the queries in tiny print event also detected signs of...people with hearing loss interacting unevenly with resources available in Meeting. SOME people have gotten hearing aids; not everyone has hearing aids that can work with the amplification system in the worship room. Some people with hearing aids do not even know there is an amplification system with a T loop in case their hearing aids have the switch that interacts with the T loop.

3.  RantWoman wonders whether anyone else besides rantWoman is attuned to people who sit near them who frequently ask someone what was said after messages or during close of worship. RantWoman definitely has one couple who sit near her in mind. RantWoman thinks hearing loss has got to be WAY frustrating.(Don't tell anyone: RantWoman is also aware that she has some hearing loss issues she is not ready to Deal With. Sigh.)

4. Holy Data Dump Batman. RantWoman started to write just the response to the queries and LOOK at everything else that tumbled out. The hearing aids moments appeared because someone mentioned not being able to hear during Meeting for Worship.  RantWoman suggested (for about the zillionth time) movable microphones. Grumpy Friend said something that RantWoman heard basically as "nothing makes a difference" AND the flow of speakers changed the subject. So RantWoman VERY firmly pulled the conversation back to flow of information about the amplification system.

     Here we come to more moments of Truth: the amplification system was not working and repairs were expected in the course of laying the new carpet several months ago. One person who does know how to use her hearing aid switch says the sound system is now working. A logical thing to do next would be to make sure the signage about the hearing loop system is displayed. RantWoman THINKS there was also mention of a brochure...

RantWoman appreciates that the signs went away after RantWoman complained when the system was not working. RantWoman would like to be in "Make it so" mode: dear relevant committees, FIX THIS. Ditto for Make it so mode and evaluation of movable mics and a mic runner during Meeting for Worship. Make it so, dang it. Ask Nicely? Ummmmm

5. In between all of this, Drum roll please, guess whose voice also showed up? Why it's I'm not Interested in Your Thought Processes Friend. RantWoman admits that just MAYBE it is petty to keep referring to this Friend in terms of a quote from several years ago. HOWEVER, I Am Not Interested in Your Thought Processes Friend at a later point could not bestir himself to interact with RantWoman AT ALL by phone or email and only wanted to say HI in an allegedly jovial way almost as far off the Grab the Blind Person and Bless Them spectrum as the worst offenders close to RantWoman. And when RantWoman TRIED to find a path to discussing these issues during a nominations process, maybe RantWoman did not say some magic words or everyone figures what IS RantWoman's problems because I'm not interested in YOur thought Processed Friend is so jolly around everyone else.

   Anyway, RantWoman admits to having YELLED at said Friend a number of times to SPEAK UP when he closed 11:00 worship. If getting yelled at has ANYTHING to do with this Friend deciding he likes the earlier more silent worship better, RantWoman is trying to decide whether she feels called to apologize for ANYTHING.

There. Now, don't you all feel blessed by this torrent of I didn't telly ou about my day moments, unsolicited and grumpy offers of help, and all around rantWoman cheer?

Please hold the whole circus in the Light and not just because of the Reign of The Orange One.