Once a king had a faithful water-carrier. Every morning the water-carrier went down to the river with two buckets strapped to a rod upon his shoulders. He would fill each bucket with clean, cool water, and set out along the path to the king’s palace.

As he walked down the path, the water in one of the buckets would drip out slowly. This bucket was old and worn, and had small holes in its bottom due to many years of usage. By the time the water carrier reached the palace, the bucket would be empty. The other bucket, however, was almost new and always managed to bring the king a full bucket of water.

After many days, the old bucket felt frustrated.

“I am useless!” the old bucket complained. “You fill me up with clear, fresh water for the king, but by the time we arrive at the palace, it has all leaked out! Why don’t you throw me away?”

“Dear bucket,” the water carrier said gently, “you are not useless. Tomorrow I will show you your purpose.”

The next morning, the water carrier trudged down to the river and filled up his two buckets. They began walking along the path toward the palace. “Look below you,” the water carrier told the old, broken bucket. “What do you see?” Beneath him the bucket saw a trail of exquisite flowers resting among luscious, green grass.

The water carrier switched his buckets. The old bucket was now in the hand with which the water carrier usually held the strong bucket.

“Now what do you see beneath you?” he asked the old bucket. The bucket saw that the path beneath him was made of scorched, dry dirt.

“You see,” the water carrier explained to his old bucket, “every day, I sprinkle little seeds along the path. With your help, I water them as we walk to the palace. Afterward I cut the lovely flowers and put them on the king’s table to beautify his throne. You are very special.”

Comment:

We often experience difficulties, and feel “worn out” when we do not achieve what we had hoped to. Even if we think we’ve failed, our bucket seems empty by the time we reach the king, we should know that every experience plants seeds within us. When tended carefully, these seeds can grow into beautiful gardens and make us stronger, more developed people.

“Know that the true worth of your travels
lies not in your destination, but in
who you come to be along the way.”

“When you win, nothing hurts.”