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THE CRACKED POT -- and the ROSE FILE
From Robert Shangle
An elderly oriental lady had two large pots that she used to carry water from the stream below her house
to her home. She carried the pots on a pole, each pot on the end of the pole that was placed across the
back of her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it that caused the water to leak from the pot, while the
other pot was perfect and carried a full load of water to the house. The cracked pot only delivered half a
pot.
One day, to beautify her property, the old lady planted a variety of roses on each side of the pathway from
the stream to the house.
Sometime later the cracked pot spoke to the old lady: "I'm so ashamed of my imperfection, being able to
only deliver half a pot of water to the house, far short of my purpose, I just feel miserable." What the pot
didn't realize was that the leaked water fell on the roses on the right side of the path back to the house
from the stream.
The old lady smiled and said to the cracked pot: "did you notice that the roses on the riight side of the
path that received the leaked water were beautiful and healthy, and that the roses on the left side of the
path that received no leaked water were not as healthy or as beautiful"?
"I've always known of your flaw....and so today I am going to put you on the left side of the pole, and then
each day alternate you from side to side, to change your imperfection to perfection so that all of the roses
received water from your flaw, and thus all of the roses will enjoy good health and great beauty."
And so, soon after, the amount of beautiful and healthy roses doubled and the old lady was able to share
the added abundance with all her neighbors and friends.
The lady told the pot that was cracked: "without being just the way you are, and with some help from me,
you and we have been able to create perfection from imperfection."
Each of us has our own unique set of flaws. But it's the cracks and imperfections that make our
lives together more interesting and challenging, becoming more beautiful in our character and
service to others as we strive to perfection.
*****
All Photos of the Roses were taken by Robert Shangle
And so, to all my cracked pot friends, have a wonderful day, and smell the roses along life's
pathway. You will certainly feel better about yourself, and be much happier.