Life and a cup of 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.asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.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.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."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.professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you
to recognize that this jar represents your life.the important things--your family, your children, your
health, your friends, 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."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
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. 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."