A friend of mine emailed the following story to me a few days ago. It is a Chinese proverb and carries a lot of valuable lessons. It touched me and made me realize how important it is to see all the positive aspects of others. Truly one's weaknesses may actually be hidden strengths if we learn to appreciate them and look at them from a different angle.
Here's the story:
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 [process] went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and 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 was 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 [and said], "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 [through the water that seeps out from your crack.]"
She 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."
Each of us has our own unique flaw...but it's the cracks and flaws that we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just go to take each person for who he or she is and look for the good inside...
Smiling is contagious, so please pass it on...
Labels: appreciating others, lessons in life
by: CLCLeather
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