Cracked pot

[Guest guest]

Dirk,

 

Thank you soooooo much for the story.

 

Bellisima.

 

Love*Light*Laughter,

 

Annette

 

Anna Maria van der Zon

 

Chair, VisionQuest, LLC

[Guest guest]

For Rainbolily:

 

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 to 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 some. 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."