The two pots

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Warmsoul/Jeanie13
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The two pots

Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:36 pm

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.'

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.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Warmie
8)

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:23 am

Way to go, (((( Warmie ))))! What an excellent thought! :D
I have to admit that there are SOOOO many times when I can really identify with the " cracked pot. "! ( And, it's feelings of imperfection and worthlessness. ) :oops: :( :?
Other people so often seem to " cope " better with things than I do, seem to be more knowledgeable, confident and experienced, seem to be less depressed, scared, anxious, etc than I feel. I spend a lot of time reminding myself that, to borrow a phrase from Dr. Seuss, " No-one is you-er than you. " That I can be myself, be myself better than anyone else can, that just being myself, being a human being is enough, and that by being myself I CAN make a contribution to making the world a better place, and also making a better future for myself.
It reminds me of one of my favourite pieces of poetry: Shakespeare's 29th sonnet:

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

As far as I know, no-one knows who Shakespeare wrote this sonnet about, but, for me, it very much catches the importance of valueing who you are. ( I also find myself wondering if Shakespeare ever experienced depression himself, to have caught so well how it can sometimes feel. Or, perhaps Shakespeare knowing so much of the human heart was one of the things that made him such a great literary figure. As sombody once said: " Shakespeare knew everything. "
Have a great day (((( Warmie, friends ))))! ( Although, I don't think of any of you as " cracked pots ", I just think of you as people who produce a lot of flowers! :D )

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:29 am

I truly feel myself that cracked pot, but the flowers that have come into my life, I hope I did share the touch of water to help them grow and be all they could be, at least some.

Shakespeare, I also feel, dealt with depression. No other way of his writings being so 'on spot' with the feelings, the words. Truly feel that depression has been around forever. Just now we see it for what it is, face it, deal with it and try our best to better our lives.

(((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind ))))))))))))))))) you are truly an inspiration to me, to many in the site. You give words of wisdom, you send smiles and reasons to laugh. For that I am truly grateful. Thank you for being "you-er than you". Got to love Dr. Seuss!!!!

Warmie

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:53 am

(((((((((((( Warmie )))))))))))), if am " an inspiration " to you and any of the other members of this site who have helped me so much in my own life, then that is SO MUCH something that I am grateful, honoured and thankful for!!!! :D

( PS, I do, of course, maintain that Shakespeare was in fact Welsh! I can't actually, back that up with anything...at all... :wink: However, I do maintain that the " finished " forms of Shakespeare's works that we know of are only his final drafts. One day...they'll be excavating the right part of South Wales, perhaps for a car park, office block or shopping centre and they'll find Shakespeare's original drafts that will establish forever Shakespeare's true Welsh origins. Plays like Romeo and Rhiannon, Three Gentlemen of Swansea, Julius Caesar-Jones, The Merchant of Cardiff, King Lear-Llewellyn, All's Well That Ends Well, Boyo etc. :wink: )

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Sat Dec 18, 2010 5:43 pm

(((((((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind )))))))))))))))))

You are an inspiration, always. Tis true.

I agree on the Welsh thing with Mr. Shakespeare. Of course!! As I am, although living in the states, ancestors Germn/Irish, just count me Welsh! :)

:wink:

Warmie

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:56 am

I was interested to hear about your German/Irish ancestors, (((( Warmie )))). You saying that reminds me of an old joke in this part of the world. Given that Wales and Ireland are relatively close together, separated only by a relatively small body of water, It's often been said that a Welshman is an Irishman who couldn't swim! :lol:
Is it possible that some of your ancestors were Welsh, and, being ABLE to swim, they swam over to Ireland, and then eventually moved to the US? :wink: ( I've always thought that you are WAAAY too cool not to be Welsh! :)

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:22 am

(((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind ))))))))))))))

Me, way to cool? :oops: Awwww, how sweet to read that.

You know what? I have a swimmer in my family, sooooooo the Welsh part is returning. This swimmer can swim the length of the pool and back (that's 200 feet in distance, I believe) in less than 20 seconds. Plus he does the one, 20 laps, so that's what 2,000 feet in 5-1/2 minutes. Not bad for a 14 year old now is it? Plus, LOL he is 6 foot 2 inches and still growing. A gentle giant! He is so kind and caring, amazing and very smart young man.

Tell me, are the Welsh, tall, gentle, kind and caring? :)

Warmie

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:57 am

Actually, that's quite a tricky question, (((( Warmie )))). :? :wink:
I'm tall, and I'd like to think that I'm gentle, kind and caring. But, I'm very much aware that I have my defects and failings too. ( Particularly, those that arise from my depression/anxiety. ) And, anyway, I'm not at all sure that you could extrapolate the whole physical/emotional character of two million or so Welsh people from one example, in this case me.
And, to be realistic and honest with you, I'd have to say that the Welsh are as capable of being tall, gentle, kind and caring, ( Or, short, violent, unkind and callous, for that matter... :cry: ), as any other person or group of persons.
And, just to further " muddy the waters " the Welsh are a famously diverse, ( OK, perhaps I mean argumentative... :roll: ), people, that may be hard to generalise about anyway.
For example you have, ( In no particular order, and this is SOOOO NOT a full list... :roll: :wink: ):

The Cardiff/Swansea divide...( Cardiff was officially designated the Capital City of Wales/ Prifddinas Cymru back in the 50's. And I don't think that the People of Swansea were pleased about that. Swansea was, afterall, also a well-established city. Also, there is a SERIOUS rivalry between fans of Cardiff City Football Club and fans of Swansea's football team. )

The Cardiff/Welsh Valleys divide. ( " Soft semi-English city-dwellers" / " Semi-civilised barbarians ", depending on whether the speaker lives in the Valleys or Cardiff... :wink:
Some Valleys people have been known to disdainfully refer to Cardiff as " just a suburb of London ", and therefore not " really " Welsh at all. :shock:
Then again, there is a joke about a Valleys public library that was in danger of closure when all it's books were stolen...Both of them! )

The West Wales/South Wales/Mid Wales/North Wales divide.

The English speaking/Welsh speaking divide.

Etc...Etc..Etc...

( In fact there's an old joke that if you put ten Welsh people in a room, you'll get eleven different opinions! :roll: :wink: )

But, that said, I do think that the Welsh are , by and large, a pretty warm, caring, kind, ( If not necessarily tall. ), people. Perhaps, that's because the Welsh are, like the Scots and Irish, part of the " Celtic Fringe. " And, therefore not as " reserved " as the English are?
Also, the Welsh lived in smaller communities, like the coal-mining communties of the Welsh valleys, or the agricultural towns of rural Wales. So, perhaps that led to a greater sense of " community ". ( Even, today, the population of Cardiff, the Capital City of Wales , is only about 330,000. )
However, just because we Welsh can be gentle, kind and caring, doesn't mean we're " pushovers "! :wink: When Edward I invaded Wales, an extensive network of castles were built across Wales, and given to loyal English " Marcher Lords " that could be counted on to keep the recently-conquered ( ? ) Welsh in check. I remember being told that the density of these castles, ( The number of castles compared to the surface area of Wales that they were intended to control. ) was actually the highest density of castles to area in the world! 8) The Welsh can be a stroppy lot! :lol:
( Indeed, to this very day, the English still believe that THEY conquered US...We can be subtle too...! :wink: )

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Warmsoul/Jeanie13
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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:59 am

((((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind ))))))))))))))))

LOL you are precious! Not only do you give me reason to smile and laugh, you make me feel special AND you give History lessons.

Must say very impressed with you. Thank you so much for being here, joining the forums and for being you.

Warmie

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Postby Obayan » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:03 am

Ok, add me into this mixing pot.... my father was apache indian and my mother was german/irish. :)

Jeanie, no treasure in the world could hold a candle to you my friend.

Tracking, you shine brighter than any sun in any galaxy.

I love you both.

:)

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:31 am

(((((((((((( Obayan ))))))))))))

What a wonderful gift you give to me, you are truly special. Thank you!!

Warmie

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:57 am

Thanks so much (((( Warmie & Obayan ))))! :D
(((( Warmie )))), I'm glad to be here! :D It's nice to be somewhere where I can be me, and feel that being me is enough. ( I've missed being on the forums while the libraries have been closed for five days over Christmas. I did consider asking one of the librarians if they perhaps had a spare set of keys to the library that I could borrow over Christmas? Then I could just have let myself in, borrowed a few books, used a computer, I wouldn't have been any trouble at all...But, on reflection, I thought the library staff might think that that might have been a bit weird...So, I didn't ask! :wink: )
Needless, to say, ( But, I will anyway. ), I'm VERY MUCH impressed with you too!
(((( Obayan )))), Thanks very much for your really kind words! Given the close proximity of Wales and Ireland, is it possible that you might have some Welsh ancestry as well? This would further confirm confirm my theory that anybody cool, wise, talented and really kind is, like yourself and Warmie, actually Welsh if you go back far enough... 8)
I hope that you both, and everybody else, had a good Christmas!
( I hope all this rather " Un-British " rampant emotionalism isn't embarassing anyone! :wink: )

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:52 pm

((((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind )))))))))))))))

Please don't ever change, we need all the kindness and warmth you bring to all of us.

Warmie

TackingIntoTheWind
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Postby TackingIntoTheWind » Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:49 am

Thanks, (((( Warmie ))))! ( One of my New Year's resolutions is very much to be the best " me " that I can be in 2011. I do like to think of myself as a kind and warm person, but I know that I do have shortcomings too. :oops: Thanks for your kind words! :D )

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Postby Warmsoul/Jeanie13 » Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:14 pm

((((((((((((((( TackingIntoTheWind )))))))))))))))

We all have those short comings, my list is veeeeeeeerrrry long, LOL. I so appreciate all you bring to the forums, to the chatters, to me. It is nice to see someone caring as you do. We have a lot of those, "yous" in here, how blessed the site is.

I wish you the best with the new year coming in. The friendship we all share here will make it possible to deal with all we do.

Happy New Year to a friend, that would be you! :)

Warmie


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