The Light of Tomorrow

1

Liam was a Janitor who was worth his salt. He had a quirk. He would start his summer job at 5 a.m. (which he now believed was a ritual) by listening to ‘Nature’s Law’ by Embrace on Spotify. He knew that gave him the kick start. From clocking in, gathering his equipment, cleaning, mopping, and marking the checklist, he would toil his four hours of part-time job decently. It was a tough job, and it would take some honor beating if some varmint had pooped on the floor or stuck his chewing gum in the bidet and used the same hand to clean his buns. He couldn’t believe they had the nerve to do that. But he never complained.

However, Liam suffered from enochlophobia and took medicines from a good doctor who often gave him free consultation as he knew Liam was a good boy. He started his job from the quieter corners of his office, then moved to the more crowded areas. As he went, so his anxiety rose.

‘Hi Jenny, how are you doing today. Happy Morning’, Liam said.

‘I might just be jolly. Care for a coffee break?’ Jenny asked.

‘Sure thing. It's on me today. Let’s grab a cuppa from Max’s,’ Liam said.

Liam smiled and then frowned almost immediately. Jenny wasn’t there. He had assumed she was there.

Liam was also a loner.

2

Liam stayed in a very small room in Bangalore, where he managed to pay the rent. He did other odd jobs, such as a janitor (again) at a restaurant, and a car tyre repairer.

There was this middle-aged man, Crispin, who was the head butler at the restaurant, who hated Liam due to his honesty. Knowing very well that Liam was a bore, he took no chances of bullying Liam whenever he had the urge.

Liam, although upset due to this fact, would not utter a single word opposing Crispin, but cried in the bathroom. The result was that he was down with anxiety disorder, such as enochlophobia. But he had to live with it.

Most nights, he wouldn’t sleep. However hard he tried, he failed. Sometimes, he would have dreams. Very bad dreams that would wake him up often late at night, and he wouldn’t sleep thereafter. It was during this time of the day, he felt he was a miserable clod.

Crispin had a crush on one of his regular customers' daughters. She was pretty. Once, to show his manhood, he insulted Liam in front of her, calling him names. Liam wanted to rip Crispin and puncture him with a rod. At that moment, Crispin thought of Liam as a tyre, and he had to laugh at that thought because he knew exactly where to thrust a rod.

The girl, who was a Yoga and Mindfulness instructor, felt bad about this and discussed this with her dad.

‘Well, you will need to speak with the boy. He surely looks depressed,’ Dad said.

‘Maybe, I could invite him to one of my sessions. Offer him a free course.’

‘That’s a noble thought, my love. But would the boy listen?’ Dad questioned.

‘For this, you need to be caring. Only then would he listen. Let me speak to the chap.’

3

Dad and Laxmi were waiting near their car for Liam to come out of the New Hope restaurant, and Laxmi thought she was his only hope if he ever had to see a better day.

Liam came out (he worked from 12 p.m to 4 p.m at the New Hope restaurant).

‘Hey!... Hey you,’ Laxmi cried.

Liam looked in the direction and pointed a finger at him.

‘Me?’ he said.

‘Yes, come over here.’

Liam crossed the deserted road and approached them.

‘Yes ma’am, how can I be of any help to you?’

Dad laughed.

‘Dear, what was that commotion inside with the head butler?’ Laxmi asked.

‘If you are here to lodge a complaint, then let me tell you that I’m not in for it.’

‘No… No… We are not here for that. We were curious to know your situation back there. Are you happy being in that place?’

‘What option do I have?’

‘Well, you do have one if we would be of any help to you, and yes, we would be glad to help you with that?’

‘How? And who are you guys?’

‘Well, we are from Tantra, a Yoga and Meditation center.’

‘I’m full. I don’t want another job. My time is well occupied and I’m happy, what-so-ever,’ Liam said.

‘No, it's not for that,’ she said with a smile. ‘We would like to bring a smile to your lovely face through Yoga and Meditation. When peace touches you, maybe you could laugh openly like others do. Engage with the world better. What do you say?’

‘Where do I have time for all this? Do you even consider that?’

‘We are here to help. You might be happy as you have proclaimed, but this is not how things should be. Do you understand?’ Dad said. ‘I have seen many of you guys get back their smile, see a better tomorrow. So, if it works with them, it will work with you.’

‘Consider this, if you knew how to smile, would you feel humiliated? Wouldn’t you seek something higher than what you actually, deserve? Wouldn’t you work for your betterment each day? Laxmi asked.

This hit a chord in Liam. He had never thought of this before.

‘Moreover, you could always find a little bit of time every day,’ she said, handing him a visiting card. ‘We don’t charge?’

Liam stood there with the card as if he were a stone.

‘Maybe you could sleep better,’ she said.

4

This time of the year was sultry. Liam did not sleep that night. Neither because of the warm night, nor due to the regular hullabaloo that usually happens in his life. Rather, his indecisiveness to choose either a better life or to stay in the comfort zone of his unhealthy lifestyle.

For the first time, he was exhausted. Maybe you could sleep better.

5

The next day, he called Tantra at break. He was curious to know. The receptionist was kind and pleasant.

If she could be so gentle, then Tantra could weave magic in my life, Liam thought, and considered this.

Tantra was a wooden Illam, with greenery everywhere he could see. There was a small fountain and a Banyan tree, with birds chirping. Beside the verandah, there seemed to be a seating area, because the grass was cut neatly and one could also see a make-shift waterfall that seemed to bring tranquility to a troubled mind in an instant.

Laxmi was watching Liam from the terrace.

‘Hey Liam, come over here,’ she said.

On the terrace, there were two Yoga mats, a copper jug with water, a copper glass, a burning sandalwood incense stick, and a tape recorder (which made Liam tell her that nobody plays a tape recorder these days).

Laxmi sat on her Yoga mat and indicated Liam to sit on the other.

‘Do you know why you are here?’, she asked.

‘No.’

‘Well, then you will know soon,’ she said with a gentle smile.

She asked him to drink water from the copper jar and then turned on the tape recorder.

Soft flute music played, and Laxmi asked Liam to close his eyes. And what followed was a guided meditation for 15 minutes, taking Liam to his inner self and transcending him to realms where he had never been before.

As he opened his eyes slowly and gently, his eyes were moist and nearly filled.

He realized that his trauma was gone.

‘Are these tears of stress and exhaustion, Laxmi?’

‘No, they aren’t. These are tears of joy and liberty,’ Laxmi said. ‘Did you know, how deep you went?’

‘Perhaps I’m beginning to understand. It was amazing.’

‘Liam, a human being, is infinite in nature. There are no boundaries that depth can measure in us. If your sorrow and misery had ruled over you, well, it was just the surface. Deep beneath, there is much more you could explore,’ she said with the same gentle smile.

‘Yes, you are right. Now look, it seemed to have done wonders to me at the first attempt,’ Liam said.

‘Exactly. That’s the catch, which I was waiting for. If one meditation can do such wonders, how much could you benefit, if you could make it a habit?’

‘How do I continue this?’ Liam asked.

‘The right question should have been, when would I start?’ Laxmi said with the same brilliant smile.

Since then, Liam saw a better tomorrow. Now, in a midsummer dream of bliss, he slept peacefully.