cracked pots

A Neat Story
An elderly 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 large 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 and the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfections, and 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 said to the woman one day by stream, "I am ashamed of myself, 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 flaws, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while walking back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers and decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have had these beauties to grace the house." Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks that we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You have 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.