An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the pay-cheque each week, but he wanted 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 favour. The carpenter said yes, but over 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, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house… 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 would do it much differently.
But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!
Srila Prabhupada instructs, “We are coming to this human form of life through the evolutionary process, gradual evolutionary process of 84,00,000 species of life, and this is the opportunity to understand “What I am, what is God, and what is our relationship with Him?” If we miss this opportunity, then we are committing suicide. Again we’re going back in the cycle of birth and death, and we do not know when again we shall come to this form of human body. So we should not misuse this human form of body.”
"Art of Living stories" 