Subject: Cracked Pot
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Sun Jul 07 2002 - 09:28:19 EDT
"Cracked Pot"
"A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung
on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it, and 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 master's
house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer
delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his
master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud
of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it
was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of
its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to
accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure,
it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I
am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver
only half my load because this crack in my side causes
water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.
Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work,
and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot,
and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the
master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful
flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the
hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming
the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and
this cheered it somewhat.
But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had
leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to
the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there
were flowers only on your side of your path, but not
on the other pot's side? That's because I have always
known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I
planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and
every day while we walk back from the stream, you've
watered them. For two years I have been able to pick
these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.
Without you being just the way you are, he would not
have this beauty to grace his house."
The moral of this story: Each of us has our own
unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. In this world,
nothing goes to waste. You may think like the cracked
pot that you are inefficient or useless in certain areas
of your life, but somehow these flaws can turn out to
be a blessing in disguise."
Kind of makes one proud of being a cracked pot.
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