Are you willing to accept eldering?

 

RantWoman has been asked "are you willing to accept eldering?"

RantWoman's initial response was "eldering has to be possible both to and from RantWoman. 

After modest consideration, RantWoman needs to back up a couple steps and to expand her thoughts..

First, there needs to be a shared understanding of what eldering is, preferably based both on experience and on materials available to RantWoman in formats accessible both to RantWoman and to others. RantWoman would be very happy to work with whoever is interested, whether on a committee or not to compile suitable materials.

RantWoman will review items tagged Eldering on this blog to see whether she has catalogued some topical materials. 

Recently while discerning about an invitation from NPYM Nominating Committee, RantWoman came across materials from the NPYM M&O Consultation on Eldering  including the . The report out from the consultation Honestly, RantWoman's first reaction: COME ON, this is pretty thin gruel! 

RantWoman says this out of love and concern for the life of the community, not only people who have been Quakers forever and people new to life among Friends. Has RantWoman mentioned fierce leading to nurture care about this topic among people younger than 60? 

RantWoman also says this with some awareness of the deep wells of resources available in the wider Society of Friends.

Next, RantWoman has rather frank and unflattering assessments of some past efforts to elder her. RantWoman had WAY to much fun awhile ago writing a "How NOT to do it" video script related to lobbying. RantWoman would also find it way to much fun to provide comparable scripts based on her experience. RantWoman may or may not wait to be asked. Hold that concern in the Light.

Third, RantWoman has a queue of eldering thoughts she is seasoning paths to deliver. Some are related to the how NOT to do it experiences above. Here are a couple examples. 

Friend if you never ever talk to RantWoman except for messages that sound to RantWoman like "shut up," how do you think that is working? And if it's Meeting for Business and  you accompany that with a shush and unsolicited "hug" that makes RantWoman feel smothered, how do you imagine that is going to be received?

Friend, I feel awkward when I can never ever get hold of you at reasonable hours by phone, how am I supposed to convey concerns? I am not entirely comfortable in conversations when someone laughs about your behavior and I wonder how to get through to you? Also, I have talked to your kids a couple times about blindness in various Children's program events but I have never managed to have an adult conversation about topics such as accessibility and vocational rehabilitation. What are you willing to do to address that concern?

Friend, I notice you wear hats in several different Quaker bodies. Do you feel overloaded? What might you do to grow other Friends' capacity to support some of these activities?

Friend (x at least 2), I notice I seem particularly gifted about making your head explode. I asked the Care and Accountability committee over and over to set up clearness committees to address some of this sensitivity and that was beyond the ken of that committee. Now the community Guidelines mentioned elsewhere offer clearness committees, the same clearness committees RantWoman has previously asked about. What has changed now about Friends' capacity and willingness to provide clearness committees? Would we all be willing to draw on resources from other Meetings in our quarter? What else would help make clearness committee experiences successful? RantWoman has one makes her head explode process terminology issue that Friends can expect to hear more about going forward.

Friend (x at least two retired from different levels of govenment) are you willing to participate in conversations about terms such as reasonble accommodations in your work experience and how these concepts apply at UFM? Are you willing to discuss experience with and modelling of bureaucratic inertia?