Friday, January 26, 2007

cracked pot

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
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After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."
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Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. SO, to all of my crackpot friends, remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!
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This story came to me via email. They didn't provide the author's name.

9 comments:

L.L. Barkat said...

I always love these folk tales. Much wisdom, often directed to children... that we big people shouldn't miss.

Anonymous said...

Interesting story. So what are your cracks, flaws and flowers?

Craver Vii said...

LL, directed to children, but yes indeedy--big people prove that we still need to hear the lessons again.

MWE, I'll just let the leaks happen as they happen. Transparency and vulnerability now, might be areas that I could improve upon. But flowers... I should chronicle all of that some day. It will be in my autobiography called "Great, and Yet Humble."

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"Great and Yet Humble"? Catchy. Like some kind of disease :)

Anonymous said...

Craver IS a cracked pot, for sure!

Craver Vii said...

Ha!

Martin Stickland said...

Love it! what a great story, as the saying goes 'there are two sides to every story'

Thanks for that Craver!

jazzycat said...

Craver,
Good point. Thanks for the suggestion on my last blog post. I have already changed it.

W.H.