THE MAYONNAISE JAR

I had originally intended this blog to be the writings of only my family, but this piece so touched me I had to put it here. I have been getting studies from Rinah Shalom for a long, long time. Her credits are at the bottom, in case you feel inclined to partake of her work. Enjoy the wisdom this beautiful Friday morning! I am going to do my best to follow 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 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... 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 2 cups of coffee.

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.

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.'

Torah Studies: http://rinahshal.tripod.com /
Times of Refreshing I: http://rinah--shalom.tripod.com/
Times of Refreshing II: http://rinah.shalom.tripod.com/

Moadim - Jewish Holidays: http://rinah-shalom.tripod.com/

His Word http://rinahshalom.tripod.com/

Wisdom For Living: http://rinahshal.tripod.com/wisdomforliving