I know... I've been away for a minute. There have been some recent developments in my life... quitting one bar, starting work at another... and I've begun to date a (ONE) girl. (curious to see where that goes) however, I woke up this morning and for some reason, I woke up feeling disorganized and remembered a little life lesson that my old next door neighbor told me stuck out. Now, I'd like to share it with you.
A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, clear and empty pickle 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 next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The tiny grain sifted between the cracks, cascading over, around, and in between until there is no space left.
"Is it full now?" A show of hands shoot up. The students responded with an unanimous "yes- it's full."
The professor then produced two beer bottles from under the table. He pours the entire contents into the jar, and the hiss of the amber fluid is drowned out by laughter in the classroom.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "The jar is full."
"This jar represents your life," he continues. "Make sure the first ingredients are the big stuff. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your career, your passions. The rest is just sand, minutiae. It's in there. It may even be important. But it's not your first priority."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for 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 lover out to dinner. Play another round.
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."
"What about the beer?" A kid in the back yells out.
"Well," comes the answer. "After everything else, you always have room for a couple beers with friends."
It took me a long time to fully understand that. I first heard it when I was about 13. Despite my realizing the point, I never understood it until I lived a little. I, as you probably already know, started out with the beer. But sometimes, you have to sit back and sort of- schedule your priorities instead of prioritize your schedule... if that makes sense.
It's hard, but... well, are the easy things in life worth it?
1 comment:
This was a really good post. I needed to read this, I've been feeling as if I'm falling apart at the seams lately, as in the sense that I usually know exactly what i want and have a general idea of where I'm going with it, but now, not so much. It's forced me to reevaluate what I truly find important. Great post.
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