LIFE
AND A CAN OF BEER
When things in your life seem almost to
much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar........and
the beer.
.
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 agreed that it was.
So 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 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
cans of beer 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--
your family, your children, your health,
your friends, your favourite 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, 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 beer 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 beers."