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The Mayonnaise
Jar and 2 Cups of 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 2 cups of coffee.
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 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 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 you.
"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 coffee represented. The
professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you
asked." The coffee just shows you that no
matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of cups of coffee
with a friend."
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Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
A
young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were
so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was
tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one
arose.
Her
mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each
on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in
the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed
Ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them
in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to
her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an
egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The
daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What
does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong,
hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
Boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin
outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the
boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee
Beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had
changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on
your Door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but
with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with
the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial
hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my
Shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff
Spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things
are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the
hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to
another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot,
an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to
make you Strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you
happy? The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest
future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life
until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
everyone around you is crying.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean
something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or
another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make
you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose
friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.
May we all be
COFFEE!!!!!!!
"Never Say Never"
"Never Say Never"
"Don't say Can't"
We've all heard messages like these over and over.
We've all felt the shoulds, the have-tos, and the oughts
That well meaning people throw our way.
There's so much advice out there,
But the most important thing
Is to truly nurture our spirits
In ways that love and affirm who we are.
What may sound simple of course,
Isn't always so easy - for any of us.
We all go through ups and downs
As we tackle what comes our way,
As we reach for our hearts' dreams and desires.
Remember, as your journey unfolds,
That everything you hope for is really within your reach.
And all that you need to find your way is within
Wise,
Loving, and Powerful You.
Carolyn Hope
Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they
sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
when cares are pressing you down a bit,
rest, if you must . . . but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
and you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
. . .
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.
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