Serve and Grow Young - Pt.2

Give Up and Serve

My older friends who appear most youthful and contented with their "golden years" are also the busiest seniors.  Further, they are busy much of the time as community volunteers, performing service to others.  For myself, heeding Baba's advice to "Give up everything that it outside the Service of the Lord", has resulted in what I can only describe as a heady, joyous feeling that is growing in intensity as I find new outlets for seva.

Forgive me if I cite my own experience, but it is the example I know best.  I gave up my TV several years ago.  I found myself tending to vegetate in frontBaba.  The time I formerly spent reading newspapers and novels, I now spend reading Baba's words and those of His devotees.  This, in turn, inspires further writings on my part.

of the screen despite my continued growling about the shallow subject matter it offered.  The time thus freed is now spent at my computer writing letters and essays detailing my discoveries about

Toys for Children

My retirement left a large block of time available that is now spent in my woodworking shop making toys for donation to various child care agencies.  Casual mention of this activity while shopping for tools and materials has resulted in offers of discounts, wholesale prices and outright gifts from merchants anxious to be a part of my project.  The key to all these donations is that the toys are given free to needy children.

During the growing season, I make a pest of myself offering friends organically grown vegetables from my garden.  As I discard non-productive activities and absorb myself more and more in service to others, I experience a growing awareness of an entity within my body that is separate from it.  I can best describe it as a "viewpoint".  It is a separate intelligence which monitors my perceptions and responses.  It daily grows stronger and more assertive.  I begin to recognize it and remember its occasional appearance in younger days. 

Most interesting of all is the feeling of agelessness exhibited by this viewpoint, and of a sense of well-being and satisfaction that has begun to pervade my consciousness.  My body has reached senior citizen status and has its fair share of minor ties and major infirmities.  I have been my own companion for most of the past 10 years but I am rich in friends.  And, true to His promise, Baba is ever with me patiently guiding, alternately chastising and rewarding my efforts to achieve human status.  He assures us this is preliminary to reassuming our divine status.

~ Jay Jarrett ~

(Sanathana Sarathi - April 1990)

(To be continued)