The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

King Edshel
By King Edshel

When things in your life 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 again 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 w/ a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table & 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 u to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends & 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's 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'll 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. Spend time w/your parents. Visit with grandparents. 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 & 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."

By diamond• 19 Sep 2007 12:58
diamond

King, I hope you're right and that there is no extra zero!!!

Yes, cooking in full swing in the kitchen...it's an Iftar for low income families. Should be great fun! And there will be plenty of leftovers to bag up and take away for tomorrow too (I always make extra for that reason!).

_______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 11:30
King Edshel

Thank you for passing by my modest thread and read it, the pleasure was mine. How is Ramadan these days? I heard that you are preparing a feast for 150 guests. Hope that I got the number right and that there is no extra Zero here :)

By Maria.m• 19 Sep 2007 09:54
Maria.m

Umm.. Err... jmhadjh mf6tsdfh. Lost for words.

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 09:51
King Edshel

you invited me for Iftar today, I will forget about being upset :) j/k

By diamond• 19 Sep 2007 09:50
diamond

That's so right King Edshel...I have seen this before but always like to read it again...great.

_______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

By Maria.m• 19 Sep 2007 09:49
Maria.m

King Edshel, did'nt mean to upset you. Let the prof. do his good job not my business either. Cheers.

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 09:34
King Edshel

I don't appreciate that product or creature that much :(

Maria> The jar was empty from the beginning, it is up to the professor to fill it with sand, salt, stones .. chocolate or whatever .. up to him and none of my business.

Jackmohan> You are right man, knowing what are your priorities is the first step to move on. You can get everything all at once, there are things that need to be done as soon as possible and can't be ignored while there are things that can wait.

Novita> The pleasure is mine, next gathering, deal? :)

By novita77• 19 Sep 2007 09:13
novita77

Thank you for the offer buying me coffee ... appreciate that :-)

By anonymous• 19 Sep 2007 09:03
Rating: 5/5
anonymous

King whats this talk of "Golf balls & shaking the Mayonnaise jar lightly"? And to finish it all off asking the pretty girl out to a cup of coffee?

I guess I got it all wrong. Phew!

On a serious note the 3 most Important lessons in a persons life are:

1. Setting Goals.

2. Setting Priorities.

3. The process of elimination - eg: If you have to decide between 10 clothes, you keep eliminating the clothes you like the least until you are left with the ONE you are going to wear.

I have seen my own friends who have ruined their lives by not knowing what their priorities were.

By Maria.m• 19 Sep 2007 08:51
Maria.m

King Edshel, what can you expect, you ate every single drop of mayonnaise and kept the empty jar on table for us !!!!! What kind of host are you ???? Hmmm....Anyway the professor got frustated seeing the empty jar and filled it with sand .....

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 08:48
King Edshel

Novi> how are you doing? Long time no see, don't worry will buy you those when I get the chance to.

R7> don't you have it cash dude? I don't want to go with to the ATM and continue trying until the machine swallow that empty card of yours ...

Having no problems or issues with money some times scare me, so confident and calm ... no worries will pay :)

By r7• 19 Sep 2007 08:42
Rating: 4/5
r7

No problem buddy u can charge me anything Ramadan is a time for giving :P

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 08:39
King Edshel

He is paying using debt card, will charge you later for that. Just be prepared, the more you come to visit us the higher your bill would be :)

By novita77• 19 Sep 2007 08:38
novita77

i miss my caramel macchiato *sigh*

By r7• 19 Sep 2007 08:34
Rating: 4/5
r7

HIJACK HIJACK HIJACK !!!!! :P

Early morning Boredom !!! Lack of caffeine !!!

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 08:30
King Edshel

to stop it, there is no free invitations on my threads ... have to pay 100 points for the entrance fees :) The rest will take about it later ... just pay us a visit, your comments are welcome, we were pleased to see you and have you here among us :)

By Maria.m• 19 Sep 2007 08:25
Maria.m

Are you inviting us to hijack YOUR post !!!!!

By King Edshel• 19 Sep 2007 08:18
King Edshel

Good Morning guys, I don't know why but do I smell something in the air? It must be jack without doubt, so Hi Jack :)

By Maria.m• 18 Sep 2007 22:57
Maria.m

So you are denying. Hmmmm... Any guess ? I think King Edshel ate all the mayonnaise and left the empty jar on the professor's table to mess with.

By sentibhim• 18 Sep 2007 22:52
sentibhim

I am full here.i just have dinner.i dont need...

"Drink Beer Save Water"

By Maria.m• 18 Sep 2007 22:50
Maria.m

I am a bit puzzled as to who ate the mayonnaise. My guess is Senti as he came here first.

By King Edshel• 18 Sep 2007 21:22
King Edshel

I guess so, wait for part 3 .. it is a trilogy :)

By sentibhim• 18 Sep 2007 21:11
sentibhim

Is this PArt 2 ?

"Drink Beer Save Water"

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