Water Bearer and the Pots

I found this story a few years ago when I was googling around looking for material for storytelling. I didn't use it at that time, but the story stuck with me and has even more significance when reading it now. I am a slightly cracked pot and I see all the children who I've interacted with over the last 25 years of  children's programming as beautiful flowers.

Once Upon a Time… A water bearer in China had two large pots,

each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. Once of the pots had a crack in it. 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 bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and was miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what was perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer 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 bearer said to the pot, “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 my home.”

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 got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.