Many times in life we are forced to make an estimate about something.
Perhaps a guess about how far, how long, how much.
Or a best guess about the strength of a seam, the stability of a fence or a wall, or how long the old clunker will run before it will be time to shop for new transportation.
We all do all these estimates with little concern for precision or even correctness, because nothing important would be lost if we were a bit off.
But when it comes to relationships, well, that's a different matter.
Most of the time we might make a guess as to the depth of a friendship only in our own mind.
We think of a certain person as a pretty fair friend, or maybe as a solid friend.
Maybe this one is new and unproven, that one is usually reliable but who knows what they might do in a REAL bind.
We ALL do this.
But have you ever stopped to make an estimate of just what sort of friend YOU are? How will you measure that? Are you reliable? Can you keep a confidence? Are you encouraging? Are you honest? Do you couch the truth in velvet cushions when that's called for? Or do you figure that your friends don't require these things from you? Why would you think that? Don't you expect all of these things and more from them? Do you expect from others only what you give to them? That's a pretty fair start to a friendship.
"There was a poor man in India who each day walked several miles to fetch water for his family.
He carried this water in two earthenware pots, one suspended from each end of a pole he carried on his shoulders.
However, one of the pots had a crack in it and leaked a bit, so that by the time he reached his home it was only half full.
But the man never complained and simply did the best he could with the tools at hand.
One day, the cracked pot, seeing how hard the man worked and how faithful he was about providing for his family, began to feel very sad.
It spoke to the man, to his astonishment, and apologized for having a flaw which made him work so hard, making it possible to bring only one and one half pots of water to his home on each trip.
The man said "No, you must not apologize.
You see, I noticed long ago that you had a crack, and that water leaked out with every step.
So now I always carry my pole with you on the right side, since that is the side on which I am weakest.
Also, since you were watering the right side of the path each day anyway, I began to sow flower seeds along that side of the path long ago, so that now I have beautiful flowers to enjoy on my journey.
I also pick these to bring to my wife to bring joy to her and brighten up our poor house.
So just because you may have a small flaw, do not think that you are not doing a wonderful job.
I appreciate you very much indeed, even with your flaws.
" - ANON I write this for Rod in Victor Harbor, South Australia, and all my other crackpot friends.
You are wonderful and very valuable to me.
You brighten my life, and make more beautiful the path upon which I walk each day.
And without knowing it, many others also enjoy the beauty you help create along this path.