Saturday 22 May 2010

The Mayonnaise Jar

I have had some lovely experiences with kind friends recently. As the pace of life can some times become rather hectic its all too easy to lose touch with what really matters in your life. Good friends can reach out & hold you in your of need, be there for you, share successes & failures.

Having just received an unexpected phone call from my friend Julia which brightened my day, I received a rather sweet email from another friend called Anne. It contained the following story:-

"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 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 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 a 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 - 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 other 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 partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

'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.'"

Update:-
No sooner had I posted this story & another dear friend Nicky called.

If there is a friend you have not called for a while just taking the trouble to make a quick call can make such a difference.

These two special friends certainly lifted my spirits today. You have all touched my heart, bless you.

May life be kind to you.
Love
Debbie

3 comments:

Anji said...

Thank you for a very timely reminder!

Anonymous said...

That made me smile.
:-)
x

Tawny Karen said...

A good way to look at life.
Thank you.
x