Title : USE < This is an article written by a gardener in…
Title : USE
< This is an article written by a gardener in Korea in the early 2000s. >
I was once just yellow clay, resting in a peaceful valley where wild azaleas bloomed in abundance. Then, through the hands of a skilled potter, I was reborn as a fine ceramic teacup, boasting a beautifully shaped neck and a flawless rim that caught everyone's eye at first glance.
Everyone envied me. I held a special gift within my body—the ability to embrace dried leaves and transform them into fragrant black tea, delicate green tea, or sometimes sweet jasmine tea. My owner cherished me, always cleaning me with the utmost care. I was placed proudly at the very center of the living room display for all guests to admire. Truly, those were the golden days of my life.
But one day, during a garden party, the butler made a careless mistake and dropped me, snapping my beautiful neck. Once the party was over, my owner abandoned me in a dark corner of the backyard. I was deemed useless.
It felt as though my world had completely ended. Left in the elements, the rain beat down on me, dust accumulated over my once-splendid body, and green moss began to creep across my cracked surface. My existence lost all meaning; I had lost everything. In my despair, I wished to be shattered into tiny pieces, so I could finally return to the soil of that valley where the azaleas bloomed so freely. Every single day was a burden of emptiness.
Then, on a day just like today—under a sky as breathtakingly blue as the one you see now—everything changed. I was gently lifted by the small, warm hands of the owner's young daughter.
To my surprise, the girl began to fill my hollow body with dark soil. A secret fear crept over me; I thought she was going to bury me alive, sentencing me to spend the rest of my days forgotten in the barren backyard. She packed the earth tightly inside me, and then, dropped a few tiny, black seeds into the dirt.
Days passed. Once again, I weathered the biting wind and cold rain. But soon, a strange, warm energy began to pulse deep within my body. On one beautifully clear morning, bright green sprouts broke through the surface. And before long, stunningly beautiful flowers began to bloom right out of my broken heart.
Seeing this, the lady of the house cleaned me up once more. She brought me back inside, placing me right back in the center of the living room, showing me off to everyone who visited. I had been completely reborn—not as a broken cup, but as a beautiful, unique flowerpot.
Now, I no longer steep fragrant tea, but I have been blessed with an even more beautiful purpose: nurturing life and making flowers bloom.
Sometimes, our purpose in life unfolds in ways far more precious than we could ever plan or intend on our own. I now believe, with all my heart, that no matter what broken situation I find myself in, I will always be guided toward another beautiful use.
What purpose are you being used for today?
And when time passes—five years, or perhaps ten years from now—what kind of beautiful use do you hope to find?
Thanks to the gardener. (fin)