CRACKED POTS

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 crackpot friends, have a great day and
remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Yard Talk