The mayonnaise jar and coffee-NMR

[Guest guest]

Subject: the mayonnaise jar and coffee

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 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 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-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. Pay attention to the things that are

> critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to

get

> medical checkups. Take your wife out to dinner. Maybe even play

another 18. There's

> always 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.