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Build
Quality Into Your House
(Author Unknown)
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 asked 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 his 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, we would have
done it differently.
Think
of yourself as the carpenter. Think of your life as the 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--do it to
the best of your ability." |
