Monday, January 18, 2010

My Crack Pot Friends

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Artwork by the ever talented and always wonderful Studio Lolo
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From time to time my older brother, who a cerebral and skeptical man, includes me his his group emails. Every once in a while he sends one that touches me for one reason or another.
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Here's one I am delighted to share. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon and I hope you won't either:
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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.
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One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
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At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
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For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
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Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
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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.
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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."
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The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"
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"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."
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"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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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.
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You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
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So...to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path.
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Love ♥
kj

23 comments:

  1. see?? there really is a silver lining in everything.

    this has long been one of my favorite favorites.it was a very good idea sharing kj.

    from one of your cracked friends! (never thought of myself that way before!)

    pretty painting!
    ♥ lori

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  2. I knew this story already and enjoyed it a second time, good lesson.

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  3. Awww, mail that atc back to me and I'll draw a crack in it ;)

    Don't I draw the most fabulous, realistic cars?? hahahahahahaha!

    I've heard this before (of course) but I'm so glad you're sharing it here. It's a great parable ;)

    xoxoxo

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  4. purest green, i love the message too.

    cs, indeed!

    lori, how come i'm only hering this for the first time?! i thought i was being so clever sharing this. hahaha (blushing abit) ♥ x 6

    lynn, see comment to lori

    lo, see comment to lynn

    so much for novelty. with love from a definite cracked pot, and most of the time proud of it! :)

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  5. Ah, I like a good story!! Pretty pic too! xx

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  6. Shoot if all it takes is a crack then I have been watering for decades.

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  7. Great thought for the day! Love it.

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  8. Lovely painting! I was awed by this story which stayed with me as well when I first heard it. And now, I think of it often.

    I'm glad you posted it and I read it today...I need to be proud of my cracks today!

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  9. I love this story - I hadn't heard it before.

    Great illustration too! ;}

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  10. love these posts of yours, with a message, and love your header, simple but speaks volumes.

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  11. KJ, well, I had never heard this before and love it! Thank you for sharing....it fits nicely with Annie's Leonard Cohen sidebar....
    for those of you who don't know the wonderful Annie - check out anniecoeartist@peoplepc.com!

    Storming here for two straight days.... waaaaah! More on the way....

    Love from your SF Lilacbird,

    Robin

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  12. Hmmmm . . crack pot indeed! Well yeah the cracked bit works for me!

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  13. barbara, thank you!

    caroline, don't worry about catching up on posts. it's good enough to know you are back and to continue to be bowled over by your amazing talent. xoxo

    mark, HAHAHA! me too!

    LD, happy to contribute to your day. :)

    marion, i don't know your cracks (yet) but i love every one of them. ♥

    hello linda, thank you. welcome to the land of the not-sick. i hope you are feeling better. xoxo

    soulbrush, tsup and mwah!

    robin, grey and raining here too. i saw 8 clients today in the rai
    n but tomorrow i have the morning to write. yippee!

    baino, how about you and i volunteer to water all the parks in the US and Australia? hee hee

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  14. Just the best story,,,,,
    (I'll say I hadn't heard it before)
    :-D

    Crack-pot friends are the best kind, me thinks.

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  15. Nice partnership tale & artwork

    ... I can only hope that the next time I hear someone talk a lot of "manure" a rose will be blooming under them *!*

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  16. Love this! Once in my journaling I referred to myself as a vase that had a crack in it turned to the wall so that no one could see the flaw ... now I have a new way of looking at it. <3 Happy birthday to Ryan! And your speech at Jess' wedding had me in tears -- thank you for sharing it with us! You're one awesome lady!

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  17. I always knew I was a crackpot LOL....Love the story..

    xoxoxoxoxo

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  18. babs, so you've heard this parable too! jeez--where have i been?!!

    nolly, ♥

    annie, NO, not manure, just water!! let's not get confused hee hee. our cracks allow water, not manure. okay? understand? :)

    melissa, no more hiding that crack. !

    sonia, you ARE a crackpot and a wonderful one at that!!

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  19. Loved this...we are all crackpots!

    much love

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