Once upon a time, long ago and far, far away... or perhaps, not that long ago, in a place much closer than you might imagine... a college professor stood before his psychology class, held up a clear, one-gallon glass jar, filled with golf balls, and asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
He then picked up a plastic bag filled with small pebbles and poured them into the jar, shaking the jar slightly as he poured, allowing the pebbles to settle into the visible areas between the golf balls. Again he asked the class if the jar was full, and again they agreed it was.
Next, he poured a stream of fine sand out of a box and into the jar, once again shaking as he poured, allowing the sand to fill all the remaining visible spaces. And once more he asked if the jar was full; once more, the students responded with an enthusiastic "yes."
ALL FILLED UP
Reaching under his desk, the professor presented a ceramic teapot, and proceeded to pour tea into the jar until it was clearly filled to the brim. The students howled with laughter.
"In case you're wondering why I did this," said the professor, "it's to demonstrate the importance of keeping your priorities straight. This jar represents your life, the golf balls stand for the things that tend to be the most imporant for most people: your partner, your children, your health, your faith, your friends and your hobbies. And if you lost everything else and only these things remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things like your job, your house and your car. They matter, too, just not as much. And the sand? It represents all the small stuff; the grocery shopping, the dirty dishes, the laundry, social appearances.
"My point is that if you put the sand and the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the golf balls. The same holds true for your life: if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are really important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time making music or writing or gardening, if that's what feeds your soul. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn. Set your priorities. Take care of the golf balls first --the things that really matter. The rest is just sand."
ALL ALONG
At this point, one of the students raised her hand and inquired what the teapot represented. "I'm so glad you asked," said the professor with a twinkle in his eyes. "That just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of tea with a friend."
With blessings,
Rudi
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