Great Words from a great friend

I received this from a great friend a number of years ago.  Every now and then I find it in my e-mail and read it again.  I know I get all wound up in work and forget to stop and make time for others alot of time.  Maybe I need to get this tatoo'd to my forarm...ok maybe not..but is worth reading and rereading again and again.

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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.

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...

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.
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."

Please share this with
someone you  care about.


I JUST DID.