Illustration painted by the lovely & talented Amelia Rowe & sent to us as a gift for Positive Medicine because she loves the tale of the cracked pot as much as we do.
In a faraway land there once lived a water-carrier who carried two water-pots across her shoulders to and from a well to bring water to her master’s house every day. One of the water-pots was perfect while the other had a crack in its side. The perfect pot was proud to deliver the correct amount of water to the master’s house every day while the cracked pot only managed to bring half the amount as half leaked out along the way. Every day for two years this went on. One day the cracked pot, feeling sad, apologised to the water carrier saying ‘I am sorry and ashamed that I do not deliver my full portion of daily water because of the crack in my side.’
The water carrier said ‘Oh cracked pot do not be sad. You may not have delivered water as efficiently as the perfect pot that but you have done something else quite as wonderful. This morning as we walk to the well have a look at the path along the way’.
The cracked pot looked at the path and saw it was completely bright and beautiful with flowers. ‘Well cracked pot’ said the water carrier ‘I knew about your imperfection, so I sprinkled seeds all along the path we travel daily. Every day you water the seeds and the result is all these beautiful flowers that we bring indoors to grace the master’s house. Far from your flaw being a matter of disgrace it has been a means of bringing beauty. ‘