Thought you might enjoy this

My sister in law just sent this to me - I thought it was cute, and very appropriate for this group. Apologies if all of you have seen it before, new to me.

Forwarded to all of you with great warmth.



The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Glasses of Wine



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 glasses of wine.

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 glasses of wine 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 youâ€.


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

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

Please share this with someone you care about... I JUST DID.

Hey, that's very cool! I like it a lot and will probably use it at work. Thanks for posting a good reminder!

I thought it was really sweet.

Hey, that is really sweet, Laurie. I'm going to send it on to the other people I care about. Thanks!! There's nothing as satisfying as finding a reallyl a good metaphor.