My father who was a carpenter told me this story many years ago and it made an impression on me. Forty years later I see it on the Internet...and would like to share it with you
- Victor Kubik
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer/contractor of his plans
to leave the housebuilding business and live a more leisurely life with his wife. 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 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.