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Friday, December 18, 2009

Perspective


A philosophy professor stood before his 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 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 professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous - yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their 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 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,” he continued “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.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer 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 beers.”



Sir D ( who prefers Glenfiddich Whiskey on the Rocks ) of Oxfordshire

5 comments:

  1. An excellent twist to an often used story about priorities in life. BEER!

    Sir Hook Who Mixes His Sand with Beer While Touring the Oceans of the World as Often as He Can of Warrick

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  2. And then he clumsily knocks over the jar and it shatters to the ground. The Rocks, pebbles and sand return to mother earth and the circle of life is complete. Fortunately, not a drop of beer was spilled in this demonstration.

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  3. Hook -- FYI, In Firefox, the church image is covering text.

    Sir Dayvd, I love the message.

    Sir Bowie "who's off to try to fix a dryer (because it's the biggest rock) by replacing three different switches even though he doesn't have a clue what he's doing and will either celebrate with a beer later tonight or drown my sorrows in wet clothes" of Greenbriar

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hook -- FYI, In Firefox, the church image is covering text.

    Sir Dayvd, I love the message.

    Sir Bowie "who's off to try to fix a dryer (because it's the biggest rock) by replacing three different switches even though he doesn't have a clue what he's doing and will either celebrate with a beer later tonight or drown my sorrows in wet clothes" of Greenbriar

    ReplyDelete
  5. The dryer is fixed, the boat is covered, the presents are wrapped...we got on a roll and then celebrated our successes!
    life is good

    ReplyDelete