The young man continued to look at me, much as the smiling
Buddha might have looked upon a favored pupil. After a long
moment of uncomfortable silence he spoke in a surprisingly
commanding tone.
"Is this how you treat all of your visitors, John, even those who
taught you everything you know about the science of success in a
courtroom? I should have kept my trade secrets to myself," he
said, his full lips curving into a mighty grin.
A strange sensation tickled the pit of my stomach. I immedi-
ately recognized that raspy, honey-smooth voice. My heart started
to pound.
"Julian? Is that you? I can't believe it! Is that really you?"
The loud laugh of the visitor confirmed my suspicions. The
young man standing before me was none other than that long-lost
yogi of India: Julian Mantle. I was dazzled by his incredible trans-
formation. Gone was the ghost-like complexion, the sickly cough
and the lifeless eyes of my former colleague. Gone was the elderly
appearance and the morbid expression that had become his
personal trademark. Instead, the man in front of me appeared to
be in peak health, his lineless face glowing radiantly. His eyes were
bright, offering a window into his extraordinary vitality. Perhaps
even more astounding was the serenity that Julian exuded. I felt
entirely peaceful just sitting there, staring at him. He was no
longer an anxious, "type-A" senior partner of a leading law firm.
Instead, the man before me was a youthful, vital — and smiling—
model of change.