Ive only just read it, even if half the board will welcome it into last week :)
Life, Philosophy, Mayonnaise and Beer
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle......... When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar.................and the beer.
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. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar slightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that 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 cans of beer from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--those 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 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 check ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. 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 beer
represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked; it just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers"