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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 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. 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 2 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, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of
the path, but not on the other 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 the house."
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