The Cracked Pot (a short story)

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots with which she went to the stream daily to fetch water. Each pot hung on the ends of a pole she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack on it through which the water leaked, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full because it couldn’t hold all the water.

For 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, perfect for the purpose for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and felt miserable that it could only accomplish half of what it had been made to do; it was a pot that was meant to hold water, not to leak it. 

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself because this crack on 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?” She asked.

“That is 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,” the old woman continued. 

“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.”

Moral of the story

Beloved friend, each of us has our unique flaws. But the cracks and flaws we each have make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

I know that we’re meant to improve our flaws to look more perfect; that’s important for character flaws. But when they are cracks born out of life experiences and difficulties, don’t be ashamed of them. They might serve a purpose we don’t know of.

You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. Don’t simply focus on the bad aspects of people; discover the good things about them and focus on those.

So, to all of my cracked pot readers and friends, I want to wish you a lovely day, and please remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path as you water them!

And send this to any or all of your Cracked Pot friends and see what a smile you will put on their faces.😘