Friday, January 13, 2012

The Mayonnaise Jar

Sometimes, you come across a story 
that you just have to share.  
I've gotten this one many times, 
and it reminds me every time . . . 
I'm not going to spoil it!  haha  
You just have to read it to the end to see 
what it reminds me of.  
With the start of a new year, may it be a 
great reminder for us all!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost 
too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is 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 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 that 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 - 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 your 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 your 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 your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

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 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.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend. 
Now go find a friend and have a cup of coffee!  
See ya next week.
~~~ Duuude ~~~

2 comments:

VintageEmbellishment said...

Wise Words.....Think I will ignore my messy house and have another cup of coffee....with my best friend! (Mr. B)

BeautifulDees said...

Needed that bit of logic today...thank you for sharing. Come by sometime.
Love, Debbie:)