Remember the Mayonnaise Jar & 2 Cups of Coffee

I had passed this email on to some friends awhile back, and just this morning, one of my friends sent it back to me...as a reminder since I am "cramming as much as possible into your days lately" (her words). Which she is telling the truth....most morning I rise around 5-5:30am so I can get some quiet time to do homework, or use the computer to take quizzes for class (one class is online, so that involves a LOT of computer time, and BOTH classes have online quizzes to take each week), by 6:30am I have all my boys up and eating breakfast because the "second shift" comes around 7:10am....the "second shift" is four more Littles...I am watching my friend's kids for her (she works half-days....she's a teacher at a nearby school) so I feed her four kids breakfast and by 8:00am it is time to head out the door....that means getting 14 feet into the right shoes, 7 coats on and 4-5 backpacks located and affixed to the correct backs....if it is Monday, Wednesday or Friday, all 7 kids and I walk up to school where we drop two boys off at Kindergarten and 2 boys off at 2nd grade and then I walk home with 2 little boys and one girl. If it is Tuesday or Thursday, I drive all the kids to school, make the same K drop and 2nd grade drop and then head to the school nearby where I drop one little boy off at preschool, then head home with one boy (Doodle) and one little girl.
I have them until noon, when my friend picks up Bug and her second son and brings Bug home from K and picks up her daughter and son. It works really well....I'm slowly becoming a "well-oiled machine" ~ HA!
On Tuesday nights we have soccer games for Bean and Bug.
On Thursday nights, I have class in GR, which involves loading all the boys into Violet and meeting Weston downtown where we can switch vehicles (my parking permit is on the car) and bussing up to the building where my class is after parking my car in the ramp.
On Fridays we have soccer practice.
So needless to say, life has become VERY busy! So I thought I'd take a moment to share the email I sent to my friend, which she just sent back =)


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 start 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
it 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 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.
Get to know the real you.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'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.'