(no subject)

[da]

Yesterday morning, I tried out tai chi with elbieinwaterloo. It looks like great exercise, the location couldn't be better, and the price was great. On the minus-- I just couldn't get into it, for structural as well as group-specific reasons. I think that I enjoyed yoga more, and I'm sure I enjoyed swimming more. So this ain't the activity for me. I'm glad I tried it, though. (Today my shins are feeling it, which feels good, too).

After, my sweetie and I spent some quality time together, followed by his concert in the evening.

Today, it's quite windy out; gusts above 60kph, but none of the 100kph gusts they apparently forcast on the radio. I just took the pooch for a walk, where we ran into bats22 on the trail near our house. d. is out singing his second concert this weekend, and I've got a bit of time to myself.

This morning I led the last of our Quakerism 101 sessions (which was overdue, in many senses of the word). Turnout was quite small, just four other people. All of them have been part of this Meeting much longer than I, which was funny for a "101" session. Two newcomers were traveling, and two others live far enough away that it's never certain whether they can make it to a particular session. I was a bit disappointed at the turnout, but the session developed in good ways, and we could raise more complex issues than we might have otherwise been able in a "regular" newcomer-level session.

We were talking about Quaker practices during Meetings for Business, which is a central component of the life of a Quaker meeting.

At its worst, Quaker Business Meeting can be some sort of activist support group or mutual admiration society. And once a Quaker Meeting falls to that level, they usually have lost a number of important traditional practices. At its best-- and this takes a lot of work-- it is truly a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business; where one can feel comfortable that, to the best of one's ability, one is being directed following the will of God, as directed through the Meeting.

(Since Quakers believe in following That of God within each of us, there needs to be some external pressure keeping us from each running off in different directions. This is one the many purposes of the regional Monthly Meeting, which holds Business Meeting. If a Monthly Meeting needs support from a larger body, they go to the Quarter-Yearly (or Half-Yearly) Meeting; if they need support, they go to the Yearly Meeting. Yes, this is over-simplified for the sake of discussion here. :)

At today's session, we discussed this local Meeting; and in what ways things succeed and don't succeed. I am cautiously happy about progress; people were identifying things that I have thought needed work as well. And they see the need to work on them, too. This is good.

Also good: the four participants see the value of continuing adult education, and in the new year, we are going to start monthly sessions for all people in the Meeting. We will be starting with the Faith and Practice, the book of advice from Yearly Meetings to Quarterly or Monthly Meetings.

Two outlying groups nearby (which try to visit our Meeting once a month) have also decided to hold Quakerism 101 in the new year, apparently overdue for them as well.

So, I'm glad I agreed to lead the sessions; it was a good experience.


And while I was out, we received apologetic regrets from lovecraftienne and persephoneplace saying they won't be able to come for dinner tonight. *sigh*. I hope persephoneplace's tooth feels better soon!