Cracked Pot Friends

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots,

each hung on the end of a pole which she carried around 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 walks 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 only bringing home 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 imperfect,

and miserable that it could only do half of what it was meant to do.

After two years of waht it perceived to be bitter failure,

its spoke to the woman on eday by the stream

“I’m ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side

causes he water to leak out al the way back to the house”.

The old woman smiled,

“Did you not 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 flower to decorate the table.”

“Without you being just the way you are,

there would ot be this beauty to grace the house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaw,

but it’s the cracks and flaws that we have

that make our lives together so every interesting and rewarding.

You have to take each person for what they are

and look for the good in them.