房子建好后，老板过来看新房并交给木工一把钥匙，说：“这房子归你了，我送给你的礼物。”多么让人吃惊，多么让人羞愧啊！假如他知道在为自己造房，他会做得大不一样。现在他不得不住在自己建造的那所粗制滥造的房子里了。
我们又何尝不是如此呢？我们心浮气躁地打造生活，蓦然回首，才瞠目结舌地发现自己正住在自己建造的那所房子中，自食苦果。“生活正如一项为自己打造的工程。”还有什么比这更清楚的呢？明日的生活，孕育于你今天的态度和抉择之上。
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer 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 employer 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 employer came to inspect the house and 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
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think
相关单词：leisurely
leisurely解释：adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的
leisurely例句：
We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。
相关单词：acting
acting解释：n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
acting例句：
Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。
相关单词：erect
erect解释：n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的
erect例句：
She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。
相关单词：plaque
plaque解释：n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板
plaque例句：
There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
