I must admit, I didn't like Tom in the beginning. He lived in the house that was adjacent to mine, and I knew he was addicted to painkillers. He had injured his back while building adobe houses in the countryside for the local government administration. The painkillers numbed his back pain and allowed him to continue performing his heavy construction work. However, it wasn't long before he got caught for failing to adhere to the drug laws. I still recall what the judge told him shortly before he adjourned the court, "You'll either have to adapt to a life without drugs or adjust to living in the prison that adjoins this courthouse." I was admittedly upset when the judge asked me to help administer Tom's probation. I felt that the judge was making me an unwilling and unnecessary adjunct to the court system. But I had no choice. I thought to myself, "Adaptation is the key." So I change my attitude towards Tom and I soon learned that Tom was just as adaptable. Tom heeded the judge's warning. He quit his construction job and stopped using painkillers. He put all of his time and effort into inventing a new adhesive for constructing brick houses. His dedication was admirable. He became quite adept at chemistry and before long, he discovered a key additive that made his glue superior to all another adhesives. Now, I greatly admire Tom and he was become a good friend. I guess adaptation really is the key!