Distractions At Mass, and When Before the Blessed Sacrament

I have set myself a little Lenten practice, and "in the final week of the regular season" I can now state categorically, IT HAS BEEN A DISMAL FAILURE.

 I had decided that instead of being annoyed, and instead of "praying for them", (which can be an exercise in smug superiority, at least for me,) I would simply try to love people who conduct kaffee klatsches, and in the process, annoy me at Church.
After all, I thought initially, this should be easy, I should be able to recognize kindred spirits, I am easily distracted, and the topic of my thoughts tends to the profane, too.

"....For through your goodness we have received the bread we offer --"
Bread. I wonder, is the gluten-free bandwagon ever some kind of sub-conscious dig at the Eucharist?  I like bread. I like carbs. Oh, heck, I like FOOD. There was some recipe I was looking for.... Do I need to shop? Trying not to spend anything until I get my insurance tangle unknotted. But I'll need another ingredient. Better head to the Sav-a-Lot. Oh, on the way I'll check for the shirt Himself needs at... Ya know, this top really looks pretty good with this outfit, I should check through any shirts he's getting rid of -- well, wait, did he already get one? I know on his way to golf he could have -- shoot. What did the priest just say? Where are we? Oh, I seem to be standing up, ah, preface dialogue?

Because to be honest, those aren't that different from the topics of the very loud convos that begin before the celebrant has even hits the sacristy.
But doctors appointments, prescription drugs and jokes are a bit part of the post-liturgical gabfest, too.
Lots of laughing.
Lots of greetings yelled halfway across the nave.
Lots of social engagements... engaged.

But the incredible volume, the din, is just a function of the age of your average weekday communicant.
So, yeah, the chats are loud, but I know, they are, in their way, mostly signs of love.
Are they appropriate in the presence Sanctissimi?
Probably not.
But are they irreverent?
Who am I to judge....

So, sometimes with my fingers in my ears, I just try to love Him and them--

Hey, there's that guy who always says "...Full of grace, the Lord is with YOU..." in his decades, I hate that--

And so it continues.