Sister Jose Hobday Presents...
‘SIMPLIFIED’ and ‘CREATIVE’
Approach to
BALANCED and FAITHFUL LIVING!!!
After-Faith Day Seminar
December 3, 2003
St. Anthony’s Center
Sister Hobday's 10 Commandments
1. CELEBRATE GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT of SOUL
( at least 20 times a day )
- vacate activity...return momentarily to soul
i.e. get in touch with soul through withdrawal, silence, stillness, reflection, meditation
- get in touch with SACRED STORY
i.e. permeate with scripture, rituals, tradition
- connect with creation
i.e. appreciate the beauty of change of seasons, life around you
- use poetry, music, spiritual/inspirational readings
- REFLECT/REVIEW on the day, at the end of each day
2. SILENCE
Appreciate STILLNESS (mind and body).
'QUIET ALONENESS'
3. MIND
Expand experiences/opportunities.
'Learn something new, fresh, different'
4. BODY
Subject yourself to SENSUAL pleasures.
(sounds, sights, smells, tastes, touch)
- MOVE your body
(dance around, flow, laugh, cry...)
* SEX is PASSION for life
5. PLAY
Be spontaneous and silly... it's fun!
6. WORK
Turn WORK into LIVE...
"Am I enjoying this?"
Have dedication, conviction, and most of all LOVE for your vocation!!!
Ask yourself (after the year) ...
"Is there more here for me?"
If the answer is not "YES!"...GET OUT!
7. DISCIPLINE
Understand your inner strength, control from within, choices/consequences for going outside of 'field of expectation'.
8. POTENTIAL
Looking for/knowing (your) interests/abilities and how they can be magnified/developed/expanded on.
"Try something new and see if it's a POTENTIAL!"
9. CITIZENSHIP
Have an awareness of COMMUNITY
i.e. cosmic, universe, country, faith, family, etc.
* Get to know Christ beyond Jerusalem and Resurrection... as SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY!!!
10. SIMPLICITY
Giving TOTAL attention to WHAT MATTERS.
"Where your heart is...that's where your treasure is!"
Simplicity allows us to FOCUS and have a heightened sense of AWARENESS/QUALITY of CONCENTRATION.
If you attend to 2 things...one will dominate (the more you attend to...the more fractured/shattered/disoriented/cracked your life will be!)
LEARN TO SIMPLIFY!
1. ALL BASIC NEEDS must be met.
(food, clothing, shelter, water, connection to others)
2. MOST HELPS should be met.
(things that help make life easier/better)
3. SOME PREFERENCES should be met.
(pleasures to our psyche/sensuality)
4. A FEW LUXURIES could be met.
(total benefits, extras, bonuses)
* If the above are not achieved in proper proportion...
your life is operating outside of the GOSPEL's MENTALITY!
If we have a NEED...GOD will send us a SAVIOR!
LEARN TO SIMPLIFY!
... Meet the need for SPACE
... UNDERSTAND TIME
... Have DIRECTION and OPENNESS
ENEMIES to SIMPLICITY...
RUSH, NOISE, DISTRACTION!!!
(Get rid of all the speeding around, noise, rackety and oppressive aspects of life!)
HOW TO CONQUER the ENEMIES to SIMPLICITY...
- How much SPONTANEITY/JOY/LAUGHTER can you employ?
- SLOW DOWN!!!
LAY not drop...PLACE not put!
- SNEAK UP on clutter... and get rid of it!!!
- Check on your sense of ADVENTURE!
- BUY WISE, MEANINGFUL, USEFUL items.
- Experience the SECURITY of CONFIDENCE and SELF AWARENESS!!
- Are you living 'ARTFULLY'?
You MUST/SHOULD attend to DETAILS!
Pay attention to the things that give you pleasure!
- Have a CONTEMPLATIVE attitude.
Stay DOWN ON EGO ... and LIFT UP with SPIRIT!!!
- TAKE TIME TO PRAY!!!!!
PROMOTE SIMPLICITY!!!
Become completely/wholely Catholic/Spiritual
- Read the GOSPELS
- Have STANCE of REFLECTION (be available to a change of attitude)
- PRAY - prayer is a position of being open to life (hospitality and availability to the Holy Spirit)
Creating an EDUCATORS WORK ENVIRONMENT...
(the 'HOBDAY'- way!)
The environment for educators should be one of...
COURTESY RESPECT INCLUSION
- Each member should surpass individual selfishness.
- Build freedom for self and others.
Embrace PEACE not 'ELBOW of PEACE'
MAKE-UP not BEAT-UP
- Be GENEROUS with each other.
SHARE not SPARE
CREATE not DICTATE
'NO CLIQUES!'
- Have DIRECTNESS on what you are doing.
FOCUS on the goal(s) and work together...each doing what he/she can to advance the success of all.
"Wake up! Do not fall asleep on the talents/gifts of self and others!"
i.e.
Have a student council (i.e. Jose's Helpers) to assist, when fellow students need advice. This promotes the SHARING of leadership NOT the ENFORCEMENT of it.
- Don't STRESS-OUT the students, staff, members of the EDUCATING COMMUNITY.
Be hopeful but REALISTIC!
- DO NOT TOLERATE MEDIOCRITY...BE CREATIVE!!!
Imitation is making anything work 'ho-hum'... CREATIVITY is making anything work JOYFULLY!
As Sister Hobday so eloquently states..
"If they didn't have the imagination to question... I didn't have the audacity to insist!"
CREATIVITY MOMENTS... set us up for LIFE!
YOU are personally responsible for …
ONGOING CONSTANT CREATIVE KNOWLEDGE-MAKING ...LIFE!!!
The EDUCATORS ENVIRONMENT should have:
BEAUTY
WONDER
COLOR
ARTFULNESS
EXPRESSION (Music, Dance, Drama, Art)
CREATIVITY
"Energy for teaching comes from within!"
Educators should never forget to remember what it feels like to be the student (awareness of the other side!)
"Have MERCY and COMPASSION for your listeners/students!"
It is 3x as hard to listen...as it is to speak!
Remember...'Laughter Leads to Learning!'
Find little ways to amuse yourself and others!
CELEBRATING THE QUALITY of PRESENCE
(WHO YOU ARE)
We are in the era of the
EDUCATED SERVING LEADERSHIP of the LAIETY.
Our purpose is SERVANT and we must STAY with the PEOPLE.
The HOLY SPIRIT is moving within PEOPLE ...NOT INSTITUTIONS.
- WE ARE:
a combination of LOVE, FAITH, RESPECT of SELF (self-forgiveness, compassion).
- We should stop living life in fragments...
Learn to connect - LIFE is a RELATIONSHIP.
* Every 3-4 hours...pull back for 3-4 minutes to go over what has happened and verbalize it back to yourself.
Learn to decorate/color your daily life experiences...so that you will always know what is going on with YOU. (Make it interesting!)
- Connect with Native History/Spirituality
We walk in the ashes of Native history and we are all connected to it in one form or another...acknowledge this fact ... or you'll always be an 'import' to your own history/spirituality.
Footnote...
What is your (societal focus/influence)?
Consumerism:
economic focus (capitalistic society with built-in obsolescense)
Materialism:
hedonistic/egotistic focus (over emphasis of use with no regard for others, resources, etc.)
Frugal:
spiritual focus (no waste, appreciation for value/worth of everything)
Sister Hobday's Suggested Literature List:
Images of Jesus - Anselm Grun
Continuum Press 2002
The Twilight of American Culture - Maurice Bremer
Norton (N.Y. and London)
*CULTURE emphasis
Creativity - Putting Creativity to Work In Our Culture and Everyday Life - Matthew Fox
Putnam Press
Vulgarians at the Gate - by Steve Allen's wife and son
re: vulgarization of the human language
Sister Hobday's writings:
Simple Living - A Path to Joy and Freedom
( a guide to creating simplicity )
Stories of Awe and Abundance
(building community accidentally)
Prayer Journeys
(stories of the journey from life to death)
Food for Life