COFFEE
When things in your
life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar ... and the 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.
So the professor
then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into 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 a 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--your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your
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 your job, your house, and your 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 your time
and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your
wife/husband/kids out to dinner. Maybe even play another 18. There's always
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 is 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 of cups of coffee
with a friend."
Please share this
with someone you care about.
I just did !
~author unknown~
