The Elderly Carpenter

article written on the 7th of March 2006 by Lee Nutter

This is a wonderful story I found in my travels. I would guess everyone has been guilty of this at some stage. For myself, stumbling upon this now is a fantastic example of serendipity. I had buried it in my documents some time ago without giving it much thought, I found it just today, and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

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 pay cheque, but he needed to retire. They would get rental support, so they would 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 favour. 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 a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back.

You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. “Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely! Build well!

Unfortunately I am unable to credit an original author, nor even, a source. After some searching I found the article on a few other web sites, but none that state the original author. If anyone has any information on this story, please let me know.

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