Two 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.
The professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of
him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise
jar and proceeded wordlessly 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, though more reluctantly.
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,having figured out the joke, 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; 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; get
the golf balls in first. Play with your children. Take time to get medical
checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run
down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the
disposal. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine 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
glasses of wine with a friend.”
August 6th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Wow if only we all followed this advice the world would really get it together The only thing I would add is “drink good wine” as life is far too short to drink crap wine with your friends.
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