Lesson taught by a cracked glass

IT was an innocuous-looking crack across one side of a sturdy, sparkling glass from my treasured glassware collection. The quality of the glass was good, and due to my love and emotional attachment to the set, I didn’t have the heart to discard it immediately. So, I chose to overlook the damage, and this piece continued to sit pretty on the crockery shelf for several months after the flaw was discovered.

With the passage of time, the guilt that I had felt after carelessly handling my fragile “love” during a washing spree also waned. Everything seemed hunky-dory and I refused to let a minor crack destroy my love. The fact that it was a top ‘brand pedigree’ product made me cling to it even more. Surely, it was sturdy enough to withstand one hairline “fracture”, I consoled myself.

So, it was with all this love and confidence that I went on to fill my “favourite” glass with chilled mango shake one summer morning. Coming out of hibernation, it, too, seemed happy with all the attention and was brimming with mirth and mango shake. I smugly visualised the tiny condensation speckles on its outer walls to be a sign of its love for me.

Nothing could go wrong between me and my “glass of glee”, I thought, determined to turn a blind eye to the existence of the sinister crack. Blissfully, I sipped the soothing drink from it, scoffing at the crack that had dared to threaten our deep bond. It was like old times once again.

Insatiated and greedy for more, I poured another lot into it to sip from its loving ridges again. And as I lifted my ‘glass of love’ filled to the brim this time, there was a thud — and the next moment I could see the lower part of it crashing on to the floor, spilling the sweet shake all over, while my trembling fingers still clutched the upper part.

The ‘harmless’ crack had cruelly severed our bond, spilling the love filled in the glass all over. As if in a daze, I looked at the part still in my hand and the one reduced to pieces on the floor — separated forever. My confidence lay shattered on the floor, with its shards threatening to ruin all the good memories associated with my precious possession. And that was my ‘aha’ moment! As with glasses, so with people — how many times do we ignore the minor cracks and keep filling our love into cracked relationships, only to see it all spilled and wasted?

If you have any cracked glasses that you love, keep them on your shelf, if you please, but don’t fill them with manna of precious emotions in the hope of enjoying a satisfying swig.