With the start of summer, many of us are into gardening. As much as we try to tame, shape and cultivate nature there will always be a certain amount of raw naturalness in the landscapes around us. The same is true with people. To celebrate the perfection of natural imperfections, this story came to mind.
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 two 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 the ‘cracked pots’ out there … celebrate the flaws and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path. Enjoy this first day of summer!!
Dedicated to my 2010 Week 3 colleagues.
June 20, 2012
Thanks Carol – from a “cracked” friend.
June 20, 2012
You are very wel~come.
June 20, 2012
I’ve seen this before but thanks for the reminder. Oh how true it is and we can all learn from it.
You have always cracked me up.
June 20, 2012
I am happy to have some useful flaws 🙂
June 20, 2012
Made me smile.
June 20, 2012
Smi~ling is good!
June 20, 2012
Leonard Cohen on cracks: “that’s how the light gets in”.
June 21, 2012
Light is very good!
June 22, 2012
Thanks Carol, the story reminds me of how often imperfections are seen to be unfavorable. I find it amusing to consider how natural evolution is predicated on a long string of mutations. Since the most pliable part of our physical being is our brain and that single component and how we use it impacts on our physical condition, I will consider myself suitably mutated from reading beautiful stories like this!
June 22, 2012
Nicely stated!
June 24, 2012
Hi Carol, enjoyed catching up with your recent stories while my husband is attending a “Pet Blessing” at our neighbourhood church with our yellow Labrador Retriever. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Have a wonderful summer.
June 27, 2012
You are very welcome and I hope your summer is summerful!