How Quakerly! part 1

Wow, I don't even know where to begin ... everything is a bit overwhelming. I think I will just describe a few discrete experiences and impressions. There is no time to synthesize it into one profound essay, at least not right now. Maybe not ever!

Did I say it was overwhelming? I've been here since Saturday, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of things. I think. There are between one and two thousand people here. A mixture of people who have been to this gathering before and so-called "newbies" (identified by a blue dot on your name tag, so that everyone can be extra nice to you.) I feel like I've been walking around with an idiot grin on my face for 2 days, but it's really because I don't know what the heck I'm doing! My teenaged daughter (who has done this twice before and has the cocoon of the teen group) keeps calling me on my cell phone: "Are you having fun, Mom? Have you made any new friends? Did you like your workshop?" Her caretaking of me is very sweet.

OK, my workshop. You get to sign up for one workshop and you go to it every morning. Way back in March when I looked over the choices (over 50!) I was torn between going with something I knew I enjoyed ("Walking Toward Wholeness") and one that would challenge me ("Quakers and Money: Applying Your Ethics".) I chose walking, and after our first session yesterday I wasn't quite satisfied. I knew it would be OK, but I realized that the somewhat lackluster OK-ness was coloring my whole experience of Gathering. I labored over the decision to change workshops all day (I was afraid I'd hurt the workshop leader's feelings; never a good reason to stick with something) but in the end I changed to the money workshop. Perfect! The emotional challenge of this issue nourished my soul, and I think will continue to do so.

Food: College cafeteria food. They swipe your card and you shuffle into the line with your tray like so many sheep. Baa! I'll take one of that and one of that, mmm, cream pie, I never get to eat cream pie, and look, there's salisbury steak over there, why not? It took me a day to come to my senses about food. Too much smooth brown and white stuff augmented with mushy vegetables! So now it's a light breakfast and right to the salad bar, maybe a small serving of whatever meat is on the menu. I'm already feeling better. (The kids, predictably, are going to town with the self-serv ice cream machine. I think the teens were having a contest of some sort to see who could make the tallest cone. It was impressive.)

FGC Book Store: I'm keeping my buying under control (just in case Mr. Ether is reading this and has been worried.) It was a joy to go to a presentation with Catherine Whitmire yesterday; I have loved her book of meditations around Quaker Simplicity, and she has a new one about Peace. I bought them both (sharp intake of breath from Mr. Ether.)

Golf carts: The people driving them look like they are having altogether too much fun! (I liked seeing in the daily bulletin that listed when the various worship times were, that "Golf cart service starts at 7 a.m." I thought, "Meeting for Worship with attention to golf carts. Something for everyone. How Quakerly!" Tee hee.)

Afternoons and evenings are the hardest. If you know me personally, you might be surprised to find out that I actually feel very shy and awkward in social situations. I really want to cling to my friend Poodle Doc like a drowning person, but I realize that would be sort of stifling. So I'm doing my best, but sometimes I just retreat to a quiet bench or to my room to nap or play guitar. There seem to be opportunities to make music with other people, which I have yet to explore. Round singing, sacred harp singing, Broadway songs, singing from the ubiquitous Rise Up Singing songbook, hymn singing ... and then in the evening folk AND contra dancing (in two different locations.) I should say that I have a hard time with self esteem around my guitar playing -- it feels very fragile -- and ever since seeing the devilishly accurate "mockumentary"A Mighty Wind, I have this fear of channeling the woman with the autoharp. So, I tend not to seek out people to "jam" with. I think I'll check out round singing though.

My younger daughter is testing out her independence, making giant puppets, bonding with other kids and just generally having a good time. I hardly see my older daughter; the high schoolers move in a world of their own.

Men in kilts: 2 so far.

T-shirts with anti-war slogans: Everywhere (but what did you expect?)

Recumbant bicycles: A few

Oh well, things are looking up. I think the next time my daughter calls I will be able to give her an enthusiastic answer. YES! I am making friends and having fun. YES! I like my workshop. So it's all good.

More later in the week.