一座房子两张“脸”　One House, Two Faces

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

～Confucius

My first house was so small the living room did triple duty as a library, office and dining room. Although I had an eat-in kitchen, I ate most of my meals in my favorite black leather chair, surrounded by my books.

As a result, my living room always had what I called a lived-in look and what my mother called a mess. Books, file folders, and newspapers littered the floor.Empty glasses and plates often lay scattered across the coffee table.And cat toys hid between the couch cushions waiting for unwary visitors.

When visitors were due, I went into hyper-drive. I dusted, vacuumed and lugged all the books and papers upstairs where I hid them in my bedroom behind closed doors.By the time my guests arrived, the living room looked showroom perfect.

I, on the other hand, often felt frazzled and couldn't enjoy my guests. Sometimes I resented them, as if they were forcing my house and me to be something we weren't-to put on our company face, rather than our real face.

One house, two faces.

After they left, the living room soon returned to its usual cluttered look and I could relax again.

After eight years, I decided it was time for a change. Figuring that bigger was better, I moved up in size for my next house, adding about a third more square footage.Not only did I have a full office, but I also had a den off my kitchen, the main reason I bought the house.I did all my reading and most of my eating there, as well as watching TV.

My combined living and dining room, which took up half of the first floor, were like the old time parlors-unused except for company. The only things missing were a rope strung across the entrance and an“Off Limits”sign.

While the front of the house remained neat and company-ready, and mostly unused, those rooms had a sterile look and feel to them. No books piled on the coffee table.No cat toys strung across the floor.No cushions thrown haphazardly on the couch.

The back of the house, where the real“living”went on, had the warmth and lived-in look that was lacking in the formal rooms；yet guests seldom saw that part of the house.

Some days, I felt as if I were living in a house with two faces；One reserved for company and the other for me.

Over the next six years, a sense of dissatisfaction seeped into the house and into me. Each year I watched my utility bills and taxes rise, taking a bigger and bigger chunk of my salary.A sobering session with my calculator showed me I was now working one full month a year just to pay the overhead for that extra space.

I was locked into a job I no longer liked for the sake of a grander house. My dream home had turned into an albatross.

I had two choices：Start charging my guests an admission fee or sell the house. Since my house wasn't on a par with the stately homes of Britain, I chose option#2.

By the end of that year, I made two changes. I sold my house and moved into a considerably smaller one.And I used the difference in house prices to buy myself two years of freedom to explore new job possibilities.

It's been seven years since I moved. I'm back to a tiny office and once more living in my“living”room.And I love it.

Now when guests are invited over, I do a little tidying up instead of a whirlwind mega-cleaning. I pile the books a bit more neatly and clear a space on the coffee table for tea and cake.As my guests arrive, they're met by a relaxed hostess who has the energy to enjoy her company and a cluttered, lived-in room that shouts，“Real people really live here.”

You know something?None of my guests has ever complained. In fact, they generally comment on how homey the house feels.

My house is no longer two-faced. The face it shows guests is the same one it shows me.And if that face is a little wrinkled and time-worn, well, so is mine.

～Harriet Cooper

世上本无事，庸人自扰之。

——孔子

我的第一座房子很小，所以客厅一室三用：书房、办公室和餐厅。虽然在我的厨房也可以吃饭，但我却常常坐在最爱的黑色皮椅上吃饭，四周摆满了书。

所以，我经常说自己的客厅有生活气息，不过妈妈觉得客厅简直是一团糟。书、文件夹和报纸随意地丢在地板上。空玻璃杯和盘子也时常胡乱地放在咖啡桌上。沙发垫之间也夹着猫咪的玩具，客户一不注意就会坐上去。

要来客户之前，我不得不打起精神收拾一下。抹灰，用吸尘器打扫房间，然后把书和文件都搬到楼上去，藏在紧闭的卧室门后。客户来的时候，客厅就像陈列室那样干净整洁。

而此时的我早已疲惫不堪，根本无法好好招待客户。有时候，我会恨那些客户，他们强迫房子和我变成了别的样子——戴上了公司的面具，遮起了真实的面目。

一座房子两张“脸”。

客户离开后，客厅很快变回原来散乱的样子，我又可以轻松自如了。

八年之后，我觉得是时候改变了。房子嘛，越大越好。所以，我选择了更大的房子，差不多比第一套住房的面积大三分之一。我不仅有了独立的办公室，厨房里还隔了一个小房间。这个房间是我购买这套房子的主要原因。我在房间里可以安心读书、吃饭、看电视。

我的客厅和餐厅是在一起的，占据了一层一半的空间，它们就像古时候的接待室，有人来了才使用。唯一缺少的就是门口应该拉起一根绳子，挂上“禁止入内”的标牌。

房子表面看上去收拾得很整洁，像迎接公司客户的样子，而且也很少派上用场，所以在他们眼里，那些房间死板、僵硬。咖啡桌没有堆积成山的书籍，地板上没有散落着猫咪的玩具，沙发上也不会摆着乱七八糟的靠垫。

但看看房子的另一面吧，真正的“生活”还在继续，很温暖，很有生活气息。这些都是那些正经房间所没有的。然而，客户很少看到房子的这一面。

有些时候，我觉得自己似乎生活在表里不一的房子里：表面是为公司准备的，其实是为自己准备的。

接下来六年里，一种不满之情充斥着整座屋子，也在我内心激荡。每年我都眼睁睁地看着家居用品和缴税账单节节攀高，花费我越来越多的薪水。我用计算器冷静地算了一下，每年满打满算干一个月，才能弥补房子多出来空间的费用。

为了买到更大的房子，我不得不从事一份不再喜欢的工作。我理想中的房子反而成了沉重的负担。

我有两个选择：开始向客户收进门费，或者干脆卖掉房子。由于我的房子根本无法与英国的豪宅相提并论，我只好选第二个办法。

那年年末，我作出了两个改变。我卖掉了房子，搬到一座相对较小的房子。我利用两座房子的差价赚来的钱，给自己两年自由时间，寻找新的工作岗位。

我搬家距今已经七年了。我又回到了一间小办公室，又一次住在自己的“客厅”里。我爱这座房子。

现在，如果有客户登门拜访，我只是稍微打扫一下，而不是彻底大扫除。我把书摞好，在咖啡桌上腾出一块空地放茶和蛋糕。客户到的时候，我这位女主人会一脸轻松地好好招待他们同时，虽然乱糟糟但充满生活气息的房间仿佛也叫道：“这里的生活很真实。”

你们知道吗？我的客户从来没有抱怨过。其实，他们一般都会夸奖房子很温馨。

我的房子不再表里不一。它展现给客户的一面和展现给我的一模一样。如果在客户眼中，房子饱经沧桑，有些老旧，那我在他们眼中亦是如此。

——哈里特·库珀