The Best You Can Do

Thought For The Day

Bill was a businessman,  whose best friend, John was a builder. They were having lunch one day when Bill reached down and pulled an over sized, manila envelope out of his briefcase and handed it to John. He told John to look at it and call him when he had time to talk about it.

A few days later John called and said he had looked at the plans and was ready to discuss it. John said it was the best and most complete set of plans he had ever seen. Every detail is shown and the materials list is exact.

Bill said, "Will you build it?"

"It would be a pleasure to build this.", John said.

So the agreement was made and in a few weeks excavation began on the project and the materials were ordered. The materials would be coming from all over the world and so the first order of business was to build a warehouse to store everything that was going to be used in the building. It would be a private home on a beautiful site.

Bill told John the building was a very special project. He told him to use only the very best materials and craftsmen on the job. He had explained that while he had no intention of being wasteful, he did not want to quibble over details and that he wanted only the very best in workmanship and material to be used. He even asked John to promise that he would not cut corners on the project. "Only the best." He advised his friend.

It was a large house with many rooms and there were carpenters who built cabinetry, plasterers, tile workers and men trained in marble work tending to the project. It was a time consuming effort and after many months John began to lose interest in the job and it's overwhelming requirement on his time. He began to push his workers to hurry when possible and it would not affect what would be visible to the naked eye to just get it done. He had also had some losses from a building that had cost him a lot of money and needed to recover costs and saw an opportunity to plump up his profit on this project.

Finally, the project neared completion and John called Bill for a "walk through". As they walked through the building Bill began talking about their friendship and how much it had meant to him. He thanked John for his honesty and dependability, for his willingness to help others and his sense of pride in his work. He told him that he was delighted with what he saw and was looking forward to the day when the work ended and the house could be occupied. John was thinking that he would be glad to get this albatross off his back and get on with his normal work.

John saw the end of the project nearing and began to push the workers to completion. He cared little for the detail of fine work and just wanted out. And so the day came when he was ready to turn the house over to his friend, satisfied that what he had done was sufficient and what couldn't be seen was of no consequence anyway. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, so to speak.

Bill was ecstatic with his final inspection. He was fairly beaming when he finished.

"This is a special moment, John, your work is the reason I asked you to take on this job. That, and your friendship. You see John, this house is for you. It is an expression of my appreciation for the kind of friend you have been and the quality of your friendship. Enjoy the fruits of your labor."

Herb Ratliff, February 6, 2012, All Rights Reserved

This is my version of a story I heard from my mother when I was growing up, this and "The Little Red Hen". I do not know it's origin but I hope I never forget it.