The Cracked Bucket (A Story)

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.

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."

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. You've just got to take each person
for what they are
and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crack-pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!