A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

Once upon a time, there were two friends named Pok and Nat. Pok and Nat worked as Water Bearers. Each morning, they’d draw water from the well and deliver to their respective little barrios.

But Pok had a little problem. His pail was broken. It had a little crack and was leaking. So by the time he arrived in his barrio, his pail was already half-empty. And Pok had no money to buy a new pail, so he kept using it.

Because of his broken pail, Pok had to take double the trips Nat took. Nat would take 10 trips but Pok had to make 20.

But through it all, Pok kept smiling as he did his work.

One morning, Nat asked him, “Pok, why are you always smiling? I know that your pail is cracked. And you have no money to replace it.”

Pok said, “Take a look at the path I travel everyday. What do you see?”

Nat was shocked. All along the path, he saw a beautiful row of flowers!

“Because I knew my pail was cracked,” Pok said, “I planted flower seeds along the way. Everyday, as I walked this path, my pail watered these flowers. Tomorrow, I’ll harvest the flowers and sell them in the city.”