A water-carrier had two pots that hung from a pole across his shoulders. One pot was perfect. The other had a small crack and leaked half its water on the long walk back from the river. For two years the cracked pot felt ashamed. "I am useless," it said. "Every day half my water is wasted." One morning the water-carrier said gently, "Did you notice the flowers on your side of the path?" The cracked pot looked. A line of bright marigolds stretched from the river to the house — only on its side. "I knew about your crack," the man said. "So I planted seeds on your side. Your leaking has watered them every day. Without you, I would have no flowers for the temple."