THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND THE COFFEE

We all get those e-mails from friends with those quaint little parables but once in awhile I get one that I like and want to share and this is one of those.

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND THE COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are simply not enough, remember the Mayonnaise Jar and the Coffee...

A mild-mannered professor stood before his graduate level philosophy class. On a table in front of him were a number of items in front. When the class began, without saying a word, he picked up a very large, industrial-size empty mayonnaise jar, and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked his 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, allowing all the pebbles to roll into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked his 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 the students once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous and resounding "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured both 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 health, your friends, your religion, and the things you're most passionate about--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 your 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 partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes of golf. 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 our priorities. 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 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."