THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

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 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.

So 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 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- your God, family, your
children, your health, your friends and your 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, 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.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your
partner out to dinner.
Play another games.
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 people you care about. I just did.

And maybe we can squeeze a little time for coffee, anyone???? :)

The Chicken and the Duck

"The Chicken and the Duck"
by Ajahn Brahm

A newly married couple went for a walk together in a wood, one fine summer’s evening after dinner. They were having such a wonderful time being together until they heard a sound in the distance:

“Quack! Quack!”

“Listen,” said the wife, “That must be a chicken.”
“No, no. That was a duck,” said the husband.

“No, I’m sure that was a chicken,” she said.
“Impossible. Chickens go ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo,’ ducks go ‘Quack! Quack!’ That’s a duck, darling,” he said, with the first signs of irritation.

“Quack! Quack!” it went again.
“See! It’s a duck,” he said.
“No dear. That’s a chicken. I’m positive,” she asserted, digging in her heels.

“Listen wife! That—is—a—duck. D-u-c-k, duck! Got it?” he said angrily.
“But it’s a chicken,” she protested.
“It’s a friggin’ duck, you, you…”

And it went “Quack! Quack!” again before he said something he oughtn’t.
The wife was almost in tears. “But it’s a chicken.”

The husband saw the tears welling up in his wife’s eyes and, at last, remembered why he had married her. His face softened and he said gently, “Sorry, darling. I think you must be right. That is a chicken.”
“Thank you, darling,” she said and she squeezed his hand.

“Quack! Quack!” came the sound through the woods, as they continued their walk together in love.

The insight that the husband finally awakened to was this: Who cares whether it is a chicken or a duck? What was much more important was their harmony together, that they could enjoy their walk on such a fine summer’s evening. How many marriages are broken over unimportant matters? How many divorces cite “chicken or duck” stuff.

When we understand this story, we will remember our priorities. The marriage is more important than being right about whether it is a chicken or a duck. And besides, how many times have we been absolutely, certainly, and positively convinced we are right—only to find out later we were, in fact, totally wrong? Who knows? That could have been a genetically modified chicken made to sound like a duck!