An Old Story Worth Remembering

[GreatOwl]

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly 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. 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 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---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and 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 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 spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. 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."

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID

[pdh3]

I needed that reminder today! Thanks for posting this one Great Owl!

[nonesuche]

I was about to post exactly the same thing pdh3  

ditto!

[A's Fever]

I just noticed this thread.  What a great lesson you shared, Great Owl, thank you!  Can anyone tell me how to pass this on, or do a screen shot, since there is no link?  Thanks in advance to the resourceful Monkey who can.

[Sleuth]

A's Fever:
1.  Select the area that you want to pass on by dragging your mouse over it
2.  Press your right mouse button and choose Copy
3.  Then go to your email or word processor (whereever you want to save it to).  Once there, Press your right mouse button and choose Paste

[GreatOwl]

While I didn't originally get the story from this site, here is a polished link which displays this and other such stories.

http://www.wtv-zone.com/califPamela/mayonisejar.html

[A's Fever]

Sleuth - You are a smart koala in addition to being so cute and cuddly! Thanks.

Great Owl - Thanks for the link and the great post!