There was once a boy who made his living carrying water to a king. He would sling a long, bamboo pole over his shoulders and hang a bucket from each side. The bucket that hung from his right side had a small crack in it and as he walked, the water would trickle from this crack.

By the time the boy reached the king, the bucket on his left side was full while the bucket on his right side had lost several cups of water. The king would pay the boy, deducting the water lost, and the boy would then make his long journey back to the well.

One day, the leaky bucket said to the boy, “I am sorry that I am not without cracks like my brother. I know the loss of water causes you to make more trips.” The boy was quiet for a time, breathing heavily as he walked up the face of a hill. Finally, the boy said to the leaky bucket, “Look down.”

When the leaky bucket looked down, he saw a string of wildflowers on his side of the trail that stretched from the well as far as the eye could see. The boy continued, “The water you have spilled, has made my journey more beautiful.”