The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember this. 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. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles 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. 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. The students responded with an 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 - God, family, children, health, friends, and 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, house, and 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. So, pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. 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."


I have been thinking about this concept for several days. It amazes me how sometimes we get so caught up in little things that they are all we can see. So what if I can't eat sugar? It's really not good for me anyways, my body doesn't need it outside of the natural sugar in fruits and such, and it's going to help me be healthier all around. All I could think about when he first told me was that I wasn't going to be able to eat candy or drink soda. So what? At least I'm healthy and as far as I know my baby is healthy. That's all the matters. That is the BIG PICTURE. The golf balls, if you will. My health and that of my baby and my family. I just want to take a minute and say thank you to a lot of the golf balls in my life.

-My parents, who have always loved me no matter what trouble I may have gotten into. We always had plenty of food, nice houses and nice clothes (even when I was bratty about clothes, you know we all were at some point:) ) They loved me so much, and I can never express fully how much I love them and am grateful to them for everything they have done for me.

- My friends, you all know who you are :) For being my friend and loving me for me, thank you. Life has been so much better with all of you in it.

-My husband. Where do I begin? I love him so much that it physically hurts me sometimes (even when he keeps me up with his snoring, lol). I know we were meant to be together forever and I'm so glad we took the plunge together, lol. I know you are going to be a wonderful daddy and I'm so looking forward to the rest of eternity together. I love you.

-God. For without Him I would have none of these things. Thank You.

I could probably go on forever with all of the people I'd like to thank and tell that I love them. It's important to me that I tell the people in my life that I love them every chance I get, for you never know when will be your last chance. I'm making it my personal mission to look at the golf balls every day and not get bogged down in the sand. And to never forget to take the time to have a cup of (decaf) coffee with a friend :)

To all of you who are reading this:

Thank you for being a part of my life. I love you!