An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his
plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with
his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed
to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and ask if he could build
just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it
was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy
workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his
career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house,
the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house,"
he said, "my gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building this own house,
he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had
built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than
acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give
the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have
created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had
realized that we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer
a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely.
It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day
more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on
the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project.
Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes
and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes
and the choices you make today.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Tim Cove
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