The Carpenter

The Carpenter

This is a story that I was told some time ago ...

 A carpenter who had reached retirement age told his boss about his plans to stop working and enjoy life with his wife and children. He was so excited about his retirement that he wasn't even looking forward to his last paycheck. All that he could look forward to was his last day of employment so that his retirement could begin.

His boss was upset about losing such a good worker that as a personal favor, asked the man to work on the construction of one last house. Although the carpenter did not want to accept the task - he couldn't deny his boss one last favor.

He took the job but it was clear that his heart wasn't it. Consequently, he didn't give this construction job the level of detail and attention that he normally would have and ended up using substandard materials when he normally used the best. He felt that no one would notice the difference.

This was a disappointing way to end such an excellent career. When the house was completed, his boss was there to inspect it. Afterwards, he presented the keys for the house to the carpenter and said, "Surprise! This is YOUR new house! It is my gift to you after providing me with so many years of hard work and dedication."

The carpenter was shocked.

"What have I done?" he asked himself. If he had known that the house was intended for him, he would have done things differently by using the best materials and doing a much better job with the construction.

That is how it is with most of us.

We construct our day-to-day lives so carelessly by not giving each day the proper attention that we should, and then, we have to live in the very house that we built.

We don't pay attention to the people that we have allowed to come into our space and disrespect our house/home/us. We don't maintain the upkeep of the house ,and ,eventually, our house will begin to fall apart and decay. And don't we have the nerve to become surprised at this outcome.