A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and began to fill it with golf balls.
With all of the golf balls in the jar, he asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of small 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 in between the golf balls and pebbles.
Again, he asked 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 grains of 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 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 your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.
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.'
It's always a good thing to take some time to ponder how priorities stack up in your life and if you are remembering to pay attention to the golf balls and letting the sand fill in the rest instead of the other way around. I would also point out that without sometimes making room for the coffee you may lose a golf ball that could leave a very big hole.
The calendar is already filling up for the remainder of our break from class... and for the rest of the year! I wasn't too surprised at how many things are planned for the rest of this month, but was quite surprised at how many things are already on the books for October and November.
At least I can say with confidence that there's never a dull moment around here.
