THE MAYONNAISE JAR & 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 coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class & had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large & empty mayonnaise jar & 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 & 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 & poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if them jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table & 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 family, your children, your faith, your health, your friends & your favourite passions. Things that if everything else was lost & only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house, & 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 & 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 partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house & 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 & 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."

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(Thanks to the long line of people who sent this story to their friends! It ended up with my son Raymond, who sent it to me!
It's a great bit of thinking, whoever was responsible!)