on: the work

Five weeks. He was five weeks in and he had done nothing short of
completely changing his life for the better. It was one of those turn
arounds where the term "complete 180" would be a gross understatement.
He was the underdog. He was the guy you wanted to see succeed. He was
the type of guy you wanted to see beat the odds. His was the case that
made you want to put forth more effort than you normally would. And
while you might get discouraged by the occasional set back, you
persevered because he was worth it. And when he finally got it--when
he saw that light at the end of the tunnel--you felt like it was more
than just his victory. It was yours, too. And the final time you shook
his hand you knew and believed in your heart that his life was going
to be different--better--and you had some small, nearly insignificant
impact on that. So when you received word that he had gone back to
that place in his life he had fought so hard to avoid, you were
crushed, to say the least. All of your efforts were for naught. In one
fell swoop, everything you had thought you accomplished was dashed
away. As a result, you looked back at everything you've ever done in
this capacity and a strange insignificance settles in the pit of your
stomach. And while you pray that he gets back up and gets the second
chance he so rightly deserves, there's that nagging bit in your heart
that knows you WERE his second chance.

So what do you do? You remember and do better, leaving nothing to
chance. Never again.