Copyright 2021 - Jamey Dye as posted on Life On The Rock Life.
There was once a man who inherited a beautiful old house. He was not very handy and soon had trouble with the house. There were drawers and windows that did not function as he expected. The copper on the windowsills turned green, and he kept struggling to polish them back to bright copper again. There were other things about the house that puzzled him. There were vents in the basement that came up through the closet in the kitchen into the master bedroom. He had plugged those vents, but the house felt stuffy. He was frustrated and unhappy.
There was an old man in the neighborhood that would walk by on Saturdays when he was working on the house, and ask him questions. He was often rude to the man and ignored him. He was too busy to engage with this annoying old man. Taking care of the house took more and more time. One day when he was polishing the copper on the windowsills the old man asked:
“Have you ever considered that those windows were designed to turn green like that and don’t need to be polished?” The homeowner paused. He thought back to how many hours he had spent on ladders polishing, and how much money he had spent and wondered. Is it possible? As he looked up, to respond the man was gone, but it got him thinking.
The next time the old man came by, he asked him about it. The old man explained to him about oxidation, and how the green matched the color of the trim. There were other suggestions the man had that seemed crazy. The man asked the old man about the vents, but what he said did not make sense and so he ignored him. The owner grew tired, and the house fell into disrepair. One day the old man came to him with a proposition. “I am willing to take care of this house if you will let me live with you.” The owner was afraid. He thought I will have no privacy, and what if this man is crazy and robs me? Each Saturday the man offered to come and live with him and take care of the house for him. Each Saturday he resisted.
One day the old man came by and found the homeowner sick. Again, the old man asked the owner. This time the owner said yes, but just until he was well again. The old man moved in and helped the owner. He unplugged the vents and the air movement cooled the house and helped the owner feel better. He opened the shutters and light poured into the house through the attic windows. The old man watered the planters and beautiful flowers appeared in the window boxes.
The more the owner let the old man do around the house, the better he felt and the more beautiful the house became. After he was well again, he agreed to let the old man stay with him and help him take care of the house.
Soon people started to notice the windows, the light, and the flowers, and wanted to visit.
One day the owner asked the old man. “How is it that you know so much about this house?”
The old man smiled and said:
“I designed and built it. But sadly, the people who bought it ignored my instructions on how to take care of it and so it fell into disrepair. In fact, I designed all these houses, and if the owners would listen to me their houses would be easier to take care of and more beautiful.”
Together the owner and the old man began to spread the word. Many in the neighborhood believed and benefited from the master designer’s guidance. The homeowner’s workload lessened, and their houses grew more beautiful as they followed the designer’s instructions.
Life On the Rock 