February 21, 2012

The Mayonnaise Jar

My niece Kathy did a repost on Facebook with the story of "The Mayonnaise Jar." 
I did not write the story below or have any input, but these words have touched my heart and I wanted to share it. 

The Mayonnaise Jar

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 fills 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 it 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 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 - 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 things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.

“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...” he told them.

“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. 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 and said, “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.”

13 comments:

  1. OMGoodness .... That is a wonderful story & oh, so true!! I loved it!!
    Have a Great Day!!
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's great Paulette.A valuable lesson we could all learn.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this, I had heard this before somewhere. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is awesome soo true ! Thanks for sharing ! Have a great day !

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is awesome, Paulette, thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece of wisdom. Great way to start my day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love it!!! I've heard something like that but it never gets old!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I came over from the Linky Follower party. I would love to have you follow me back.

    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful story! I found you on linky blog hop and I'm now a follower, would appreciate the same. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  10. what a sweet story! that definitely got a smile out of me :-)

    I'm stopping by from the LinkyFollowers bloghop. I'm your newest follower, and I'd love for you to follow me also.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful story! Visiting & following from the linky hop!

    -caroline @ c.w.frosting

    ReplyDelete
  12. Stopping by from the hop,would be great if you followed back? :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great story!! Stopping by and following via the Linky Followers Blog Hop at Its So Very Cheri!!! Be great to have you follow back. Have a great day!! :)

    ReplyDelete