A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Mayonnaise Jar!

I thought you all might enjoy this today.



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 start 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
it 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 up everything else
 
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an 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 - God,  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 time to get medical checkups.
 
Take your spouse out to dinner.
 

There will always be time 
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'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.'

8 comments:

  1. I've heard different versions of this story but I like this one best because of the coffee! lol

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  2. Kim so true so true!! I love this illustration of life. Sometimes when someone is trying to get through to us on important things.."visual talks" seem to imprint on the ole brain better.

    Whatcha doing on your site? It looked great..it wasn't to busy and it is easy to read..some aren't!!

    I started my craft-recipe site with $o.00 budget into it and NO computer mechanic understanding..lol
    Stop by and visit..I have officially learned how to post pictures!! The simple things make me happy!!
    Have a great weekend..did you pick some music?

    Hugs from Tx..me Cindy

    new..http://cindysrick-rackandgingham.blogspot.com

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  3. Awesome post, I absolutely love it and definitely needed that reminder as life has been full of chaos lately!

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  4. Oh what a beautiful reminder about priorities! May we keep them in the right order. Thanks for sharing. Hope you are having a great weekend!

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  5. That's such a great explanation about priorities! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  6. Awww.... That was sweet, and so TRUE!

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  7. Lovely thoughts my friend - so very true! Hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend with the family!

    Big I-wonder-if-he-could-have-squeezed-a-little-chocolate -into-the-jar hugs to you! Love ya!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this! :D I've seen it before but definitely worth reading again.

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