Remember to Smell the Flowers!!

A beautiful story I came across in my readings and would love to share it.  The title is perfect in itself and tells us to ‘Look for the Good in Each and Every person’:

‘An elderly woman in a far off village named Kensho in China had to bring water from a well which was very far away from her small house. There was no one to help and she had to all the chores in the house. Every day she used to carry two large pots, each hung on the ends of the 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 went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. She never complained that the cracked pot was not giving her enough water like the perfect pot and went about her chores.

Of course, the perfect pot was very 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 had been 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 and I do not seem to do anything about it.”

The old woman smiled and said, “Dear pot, did you ever 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 imperfections, so I knowingly 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 my house and there is an abundance of fragrance everywhere. Without you being just the way you are, so caring and giving, there would not be this beauty to grace my house.” The cracked pot was very happy that he could be of help to the old woman and understood his role in fetching water.’

Each of us has our own unique imperfections and limitations. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the goodness in them. So, to all of my wonderful cracked-pot friends, remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!