| A Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee |
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| When life seems almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. |
| As a philosophy professor began his class, he picked up a one-gallon mayonnaise jar and filled it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was. Then the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. Then he picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining spaces. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students smiled and said that now it was. Then he produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured them into the jar filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," he said as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions, and 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. "Notice that if you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same is true about life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse 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 around them, and the rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and asked what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It demonstrates that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple of cups of coffee. "If your priorities are right, you can always say YES!!! to coffee with a friend." |
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