icnmgrjill
05-05-2006, 01:27 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 walk 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 2 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.
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Thanks to my friend Gary for sending that. So, let's apply this to IC for a moment. Does having IC make us less of a person?? Does it change our hearts?? Our souls??? Our intelligence??? Isn't there something special that we can give to this planet because we have lived with IC?
The one thing I say to every IC patient who is struggling... look at it a different way. IC has given you a healthy dose of COMPASSION! You KNOW have devastating it can be to be alone, afraid and in discomfort... and, because of that, you will never walk away from someone (person or animal) in pain and suffering again. That makes you a better mother to your children. A better spouse... a more compassionate friend. Yes, it's horrible to be in pain... but it teaches us that the best gift that we can give to another is often just to hold their hand... so that they, too, aren't alone.
To all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the
flowers, on your side of the path. - Jill
::from the heart of the Valley of the Moon, where the sun is shining, the hummingbirds singing, the trees gently swaying... as children find their ways home from school... where, in the best case, they will also not be alone:::
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 walk 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 2 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.
------------
Thanks to my friend Gary for sending that. So, let's apply this to IC for a moment. Does having IC make us less of a person?? Does it change our hearts?? Our souls??? Our intelligence??? Isn't there something special that we can give to this planet because we have lived with IC?
The one thing I say to every IC patient who is struggling... look at it a different way. IC has given you a healthy dose of COMPASSION! You KNOW have devastating it can be to be alone, afraid and in discomfort... and, because of that, you will never walk away from someone (person or animal) in pain and suffering again. That makes you a better mother to your children. A better spouse... a more compassionate friend. Yes, it's horrible to be in pain... but it teaches us that the best gift that we can give to another is often just to hold their hand... so that they, too, aren't alone.
To all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the
flowers, on your side of the path. - Jill
::from the heart of the Valley of the Moon, where the sun is shining, the hummingbirds singing, the trees gently swaying... as children find their ways home from school... where, in the best case, they will also not be alone:::