The Mayonnaise Jar

By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will reinforce, you determine the quality of your Light. You determine the effects that you will have upon others, and the nature those effects will have on the experiences of your life.
~Gary Zukav

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle; when twenty-four hours in a day is not nearly enough; I hope you will remember this story about a simple mayonnaise jar ...

The Mayonnaise Jar

A college professor stood before his philosophy class with some items on a table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and began to fill it with golf balls. When he had finished, he then asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and he poured all of the pebbles into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into all of the open areas in between the golf balls. He asked the students again if the jar was full. They all agreed, it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and slowly poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filtered down and filled up any spaces that were left between everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. This time, the students responded with an unanimous "Yes."

The professor smiled. Then, he produced two cups of coffee from a shelf under the table in front of him. Without saying a word, he poured the entire contents of the two cups into the jar, effectively filling the mayonnaise jar to the very brim. 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 your passion. These are all things that, if everything else was lost and only these things remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter to you, like your job, your house, your car. Now, the sand represents everything else, you know, the small stuff."

The professor stood quietly for a few moments, watching the students' faces and allowing the information to sink in. Then he continued, "See, if you were to put the sand into the jar first, there would be no room at all for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all of your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are really important. So ... pay attention to the things that are most critical to your happiness:

Be one with your spirituality.
Spend time with your family.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Call your friends.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping faucet. Take care of the golf balls first -- those are the things that really matter. Set your priorities. All of the rest is just ... sand."

One of the students raised her hand. She asked the professor what the coffee represented. The professor smiled again. "I'm glad you asked." he answered. "It just goes in there 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."


Namaste!
CJ