Re: Something personal... a dialogue
Jehana

Mon Feb 15 16:37:18 1999
*br*The below story just arrived today in my mailbox from one of toooo many mailing lists I'm on...  I pass it on.  *p*<< *br* A cracked Pot*br*  A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he*br*carried across his neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the*br*other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end*br*of the long walk from the stream to the masters house, the cracked pot arrived*br*only half full.  For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer*br*delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his customers' houses.*br*Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the*br*end for which it was made.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own*br*imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half*br* of what it had been made to do.  After two years of what it perceived to*br* be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.*br* "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked *br* the bearer.  "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two*br* years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes*br*water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws,*br*you have to do*br* all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." The pot*br*said*br* *br* The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he*br*said, "As we return to the customers house, I want you to notice the beautiful*br*flowers along the path."Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot*br*took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the*br*path, and this cheered it some.  But at the end of the trail, it still felt*br*bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized*br*to the bearer for its failure.*br* *br* The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on*br*your side of your path, but not on the other pots side?  That's because I have*br*always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.  I planted flower*br*seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the*br*stream, you've watered them.  For two years I have been able to pick these*br*beautiful flowers to decorate my own and my customers' tables.  Without you*br*being just the way you are, we would not have this beauty to grace our homes."*br* *br*     Each of us has our own unique "flaws," it's what makes us each unique -*br*we're all cracked pots.  If we see those "flaws" as having positive potential,*br*we can use our them to grow flowers - to beautify not only our own paths and*br*tables, but also the ones of those around us.  Don't be afraid of your*br*"flaws."  Acknowledge them, figure out what you can do with them, and you too*br*can be the cause of beauty.   .*br*  >>
Re: Something personal... a dialogue
Taliesin_2
97
Mon Feb 15 15:24:35 1999