The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem
Almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day in not enough
Remember the mayonnaise jar
And 2 cups of coffee.
A Professor Stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students
If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in the jar.
He shook the jar lightly
the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full...
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand
And poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full...
The students responded
With an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced
Two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents
Into the Jar, effectively
Filling the Empty space between the sand
The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor,
As the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that
This jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things God, Family, Children, Health, Friends, and Favorite passions.--Things that if everything else was lost. And only they remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like you job, house, and car.
The Sand is everything else- the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," He continued
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all you time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are Important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness
Play with you children.
Take time to get medical checkups
Take your partner out to dinner
Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house
And fix the disposal...
Take care of the golf balls first--
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest if just sand.
One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented
The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked"
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend"
Friday, June 13, 2008
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