A friendly cup of coffee . . .
A friendly cup of coffee . .
.
Today it is raining and I
cannot work on the outside things I wanted and I really don’t feel like doing
some of the inside things I need to get done so I am sitting here with a cup of
coffee watching the many birds hit the feeders on the deck and in the
yard. There are golden finches,
cardinals, blue birds, squirrels and many others flying all around. The weather is just a good soaking easy rain
not like the several lightning and thunder storms around lately. The rain has a chance to penetrate the Georgia
red clay ground and this rain is good for the plants, trees, and grass which
has all transformed this area into a lush green haven for everything.
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 and 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.
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 and 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 this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - your God,
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, and 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 on the golf course. 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."
Hope you enjoyed.
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