Late Night Chat with Jeff: Entertaining Baba, April 14, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered!

The Topic: Entertaining Baba

Dear Folks of Baba,

I thought this Sunday we would have a change of pace from our usual sessions: We have a program at the Center titled, "In Celebration of the Divine,” in which guests bring something to share for entertaining Baba and those gathered. It could be a favorite quote of Baba’s or maybe a mystical Sufi poem, a touching, humorous or colorful story from our life with Baba, an exchange with one of the mandali, a song, or even a joke.

Entertaining Baba reminds me of an incident from my own life that was pivotal in my work at the Center. Back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, I was just beginning the long and arduous job of cleaning all the windows and screens of the Original and Lakeview Kitchens. Altogether this involves 47 windows, some of which have as many as 12 panes. And then there are the screens! It is a long, often uninspired journey into the realm of cleaning.

Starting at window 47, I had made my way to window number 41, with rags and Windex on the step ladder, when I heard a clear, authoritative voice within say, “Is this work entertaining to Baba?” Without hesitation, I found myself saying, “No!” I thought, Baba has to watch me all day, all of us in fact, and I am approaching this window cleaning with an unenthusiastic check-list mentality: 41 done, 40 done, 39 done… I thought of one of those poor security guards somewhere in a small room in a shopping mall, watching a whole bank of TV monitors aimed out at the extensive parking lots to make sure nothing untoward is happening. What if some shopper were to do a little dance toward one of the unseen cameras. Wouldn’t that make the guard's day!

There has to be a better way to clean windows. One of the ways I came up with of entertaining Baba was to get some of the kids on the Center to help, supplying them with rags and Windex, and let them go ahead of me. We would work for a while, and then go into the kitchen and have some treats, maybe ice cream on a hot day, and enjoy ourselves. Or I might ask someone who might need to talk about something difficult they’re going through, and we can work while delving into the issue. Or another way is to think of Baba, His life, sing a song, or do a super window cleaning job for Him. I learned how to be more resourceful and creative and not let the window cleaning become my usual uninspired routine. And make it more fun for Baba. Now if I can only do my danged taxes in the same spirit!

In His love, Jeff

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