A very nice teaching about how living life

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 6:52 am

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 the
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 proceeded to fill it with
golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They
all agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of 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 all 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 stu dents
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 God, family, your children, your
health, your friends and your favorite passions--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
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. Spend time with your family. Take time to
get medical checkups. Take your partner 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 and said, "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."

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 6:53 am

I should have said that this have been sent to me by an Indian frend of mine, it's not my writing.

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:29 am

thought you attended some of his courses...

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:40 am

I've read something similar, but it involved beers, not coffee ("no matter how full you think your life is, there's always room for a couple of beers"). I prefer that one

Shroomz~> · Post by **Shroomz~>** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:27 am

me too, but just look at the trouble it gets me into

Post by **hubird** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:25 am

@ Counterparts: Barbarian!

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 7:43 am

You made my day with such hilarious comments guys!

Nice

bizarre · Post by **bizarre** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:01 am

I showed this to my stagemanager, who's a bit older and much more wiser than me. I said something like "why didn't i read and understand this when I was about 17 years old". "At the age of 17 you was diggin' in the sand lookin' for your golf balls" he replied.
.... a very vise man and a very good friend