A philosophy to live by.....
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of
him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. 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, of course, rolled into the
open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar
was full. They agreed it was.
The students laughed as the professor picked up a box of sand and poured
it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is
your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your
partner, your health, your children - 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, there is no room for the
pebbles or the rocks. The same goes 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
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 dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean
the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand."
But then... A student took the jar which the other students and the
professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass of beer. Of course
the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.
The moral of this tale is: No matter how full your life is, there is
always room for a BEER.