Coffee with a friend

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, 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 full.

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 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, 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, 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 partner out to dinner.
* Play another 18 holes.
* 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. "I'm glad you asked," he said. "It just goes
to show you that no matter how full your life may
seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a
friend!!!"

Cheers