- The cracked pot -
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 walks 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 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."
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?"
"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."
「ごめんなさい。ひび割れの私は、この２年間満足に水も運べませんでした」とかめはおばあさんに詫びる。
するとおばあさんは笑ってかめに言うのです。
「私のまいた花の種。あなたのひびから漏れた水のおかげでこんなに綺麗に咲いているでしょう？。
その花をテーブルに飾り、この家も、私も、豊かにしてくれているではありませんか」
「この世の中に無駄な、役立たずな物や人間はいないんだよ」とこの話は教えてくれる。
無駄な物、役立たずな物は切り捨て。白か黒か。勝ちか負けか。二者択一を叫ぶ政治家にこの話をしても理解は出来ないだろう。
アメリカの北を、慣れないレンタカーでウロウロした私に道を教えてくれた女性、テレサからのメールに添付されていた「The cracked pot」。
冷たい川面をチッ、チッと川ガラスのつがいが飛び去る。
一日に何回も聞くかわいい鳴き声で「春はもうそこ迄来ていますよ」と、この谷筋に触れ回っている。
