a jar and two cups of coffee

you may have heard a version of this before but the message serves us all well and is definitely worth a read.
when things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours a day may not be enough, remember the jar and the two cups of coffee.

a professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  when the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  he then asked his students if the jar was full, the students said it was.  the professor next picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  he shook the jar lightly.  the pebbles rolled into the areas between the golf balls.  he then asked his students if the jar was full, they agreed that it was.  

the professor next picked up the 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 the jar represents your life.  the golf balls are the important things - your family, your health, your friends, your favorite passions and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life will 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 and 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.  take time to have dinner, to explore, to visit a new place.  there will always be time to clean the house and fix the sink.  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."

ilysm!  i know you know it!  ♥ ♥ ♥