Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers...

John Baker

Final Approach
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John Baker
Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers...

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 beers.

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 was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers 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.


Spend time with your children.

Spend time with 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 and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.




LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS...
...IT'S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

_______________________________________________________

Another one I thought y'all might like.

John






 
I would have stole the beer and skipped the rest of the class.
 
It's interesting to see that this "anecdote" has, somewhere over the years, acquired a couple of beers. It used to just be rocks, pebbles, and sand.

Personally, with the addition of the two beers (which I don't think would really fit into a jar full of sand, any way), I think the lesson changes to "all this life crap is really filling up a lot of time I could be using to drink beer".
-harry
 
Thank You John, i really liked it and copied it and sent it out in a Email.
Dave G :blueplane:
P.S. Heres to you :cheerswine:
 
Personally, with the addition of the two beers (which I don't think would really fit into a jar full of sand, any way) ..
Depends entirely on the sand. As a certified beach bum, I can categorically state that not all sand is created equal. Sand from Crescent Beach in Siesta Key or from Santa Rosa Island would definitely crowd out the beer, because it is very fine, and also because with that kind of sand you should really be drinking mai tais. However, the stuff they dredge to "renourish" the beaches along the Atlantic coast deserves, and would fit, some PBR, no problem. :cheerswine: :cheerswine:
 
Depends entirely on the sand. As a certified beach bum, I can categorically state that not all sand is created equal. Sand from Crescent Beach in Siesta Key or from Santa Rosa Island would definitely crowd out the beer, because it is very fine, and also because with that kind of sand you should really be drinking mai tais. However, the stuff they dredge to "renourish" the beaches along the Atlantic coast deserves, and would fit, some PBR, no problem. :cheerswine: :cheerswine:

While your perspective is valued and your advice should not be summarily discarded, I must protest your contention that the amount of void space depends on the coarseness of the sand grains. Now one might prefer an ale to go with coarse grains and perhaps a pilsner to go with finer grains, the fact remains that the pore volume should be approximately equal for well sorted grains.:cheerswine::cheerswine:
 
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