The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

Doodee · 10-05-2006 11:19am #1

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in
a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 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 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
......"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 family, your children, your health, your friends
and your favorite passions---and 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 spouse
out to
dinner. Play another 18. 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."

melekalikimaka · 10-05-2006 11:21am

thats very good, I like it, it just gave me the excuse i was looking for to go out in the sun and stop studying

WhiteWashMan · 10-05-2006 11:24am

my life has suddenly taken on meaning.

/me burns suit and submits resignation from job

fuzzywiggle · 10-05-2006 11:26am

Very nice.

10-05-2006 11:26am

*gag*

10-05-2006 11:35am

It does make ya think though, that some **** in your life just doesnt matter at all....

The Free Man · 10-05-2006 11:39am

its well thought out i have to say. yeah screw the study, lets go and party!

The Hill Billy · 10-05-2006 11:45am

F€ck work! I'm off for a lunchtime pint.

JungleBunny · 10-05-2006 11:58am

Very profound!

MrJoeSoap · 10-05-2006 12:01pm

Dumb students. You don't tell your professor that a mayonaise jar with some golf balls in it is "full" !

Very good though!

Femelade · 10-05-2006 12:01pm

i like his way of thinking!

smiling_time · 10-05-2006 12:05pm

why werent lectures as interesting for me

Tobias Greeshman · 10-05-2006 12:13pm

Time for a cuppa coffee me thinks

Lump · 10-05-2006 1:00pm

Technically it'll never be full, there will always be space between the Nucleus and the electrons in an atom. THAT PROFESSOR SUCKS!!!

John

simu · 10-05-2006 3:53pm

Thought this was gonna be some kerazy recipe!

Sleepy · 10-05-2006 3:54pm

Doodee, I'm surprised at you. That (or variants of it) have been posted loads of times. It's one of those emails that seems to resurrect itself every few months!

ninebeanrows · 10-05-2006 4:15pm

Hey i've heard this before of someone but i cant remember so this
is not the original guys.. this guys not the real Mccoy:rolleyes:

sturgo · 10-05-2006 6:48pm

Where do I fit onto the jar that represents my life?

He fails to include the most important aspect within anyones life. The actual person in question.

Besides that, the coffee one liner at the end made me wanna puke.