Reflection Questions
Welcome to the Wisdom of the World - Joan Chittister

• Briefly, what are the current sources of stress in my life?
• How do I typically respond to these?  (It may be helpful to re-read the last full paragraph on page 87.)
• Am I satisfied with my way of responding or would another way be better for me?

Chittister suggests that the answer to pressure and stress is “not the death of the self from doing either too much or too little”, but rather a balanced life “flavored by many things…not in any single thing that consumes our energies and dampens our appetite for the rest of life.”  (page 89)  She identifies five attributes of the “spirituality of balance.”

• Equilibrium
• Variety
• Self awareness
• Re-creation
• Appreciation of the value of imperfection

1. How do I live each of these attributes? 

2. Are there any I need to give greater attention to?

3. What changes would be helpful?

• facilitate my life as a Christian and as a Secular Franciscan?
• hinder my life as a Christian and as a Secular Franciscan?