The Mayonnaise Jar And 2 Cups Of Coffee

This is a paid post contributed by a Patch Community Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.

When things in your life seem almost too hard to handle or when twenty-four hours in a day are not enough, remember this parable about a jar full of golf balls and two cups of coffee.

Many years ago, a motivational speaker addressed a conference of bankers with this account of a fabled philosophy professor who began the first class of his Spring semester with an assortment of items on his desk.

As class opened, he silently picked up a large jar and put it on the podium before him. Like a magician, he silently gestured to the empty jar and, without a word of explanation, proceeded to fill the jar with golf balls.

He stepped aside, pointed to the jar and asked the class if the jar was full. Wondering why he would state the obvious, they hesitated, suspecting a trick question. Gradually they all agreed it was, indeed, full. Then he picked up a ZIP-lock full of pebbles and added them to the jar, filling spaces between the golf balls.

He tapped the jar, settled the pebbles and added more until the jar was full. Once again, he asked if the jar was full. This time, they agreed that it was, (some quietly murmuring “Duh!”, under their breath.)

Next he picked up a ZIP-lock of sand and carefully poured it into the jar. After tapping the jar, a bit, he found more space and added more sand to fill the jar to the top. This time, after the expected question, the class laughed and advised him that now the jar was truly full.

“Now, the professor said, I want you to understand that this jar represents your life.” He explained that he golf balls are the important things– family, children, health, friends and your true passions. For some people golf balls may represent pets, sports or fitness, for some they include religion or a charity to which they are devoted.

The pebbles represent other things that matter: your job, your house, your car, vacations or hobbies. The sand is everything else—the small stuff.

If you put the sand in the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or 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. Spend time with your family. Play with your children. Take time for medical check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner or, until COVID-19 passes, just for a walk. You will always make time to clean the house or fix something that is broken.

Take care of the golf balls first – then the other things that matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. Of course, as you age, the “golf balls” may change, but then you change your priorities. One student raised her hand and asked, “What about the coffee cups?” The professor smiled and said, “I am glad you asked!”

Then he poured coffee carefully into the jar which was absorbed by the sand. He smiled and said, “It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room to have a cup of coffee with a friend!”

The Moral of the Story

“Now, the professor said, I want you to understand that this jar represents your life.” He explained that he golf balls are the important things– family, children, health, friends and your true passions. For some people golf balls may represent pets, sports or fitness, for some they include religion or a charity to which they are devoted.

The pebbles represent other things that matter: your job, your house, your car, vacations or hobbies. The sand is everything else—the small stuff.

If you put the sand in the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or 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. Spend time with your family. Play with your children. Take time for medical check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner or, until COVID-19 passes, just for a walk. You will always make time to clean the house or fix something that is broken.

Take care of the golf balls first – then the other things that matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. Of course, as you age, the “golf balls” may change, but then you change your priorities. One student raised her hand and asked, “What about the coffee cups?” The professor smiled and said, “I am glad you asked!”

Then he poured coffee carefully into the jar which was absorbed by the sand. He smiled and said, “It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room to have a cup of coffee with a friend!”

Epilog

This is the season of New Year’s Resolutions, Groundhog Day, St. Valentine’s Day and cold days of waiting for Spring. With the added realization of the anniversary of the appearance of COVID-19, it is truly a time for recognizing what is important in our lives – and what is not.

For Freemasons, this value of setting and observing priorities in our lives is applied to our membership in the fraternity. On the day of our initiation, we were all told that, although our regular attendance at meetings is encouraged, we are admonished that Masonry should not interfere with our “necessary vocations.” That refers to our obligations to family, our occupations and other solemn commitments, “… for these are on no account to be neglected.”

{End note: We found a version of this story in an old file, with no attribution of the author. A quick check of Google revealed no shortage of references to it, all of which also without a credit to the original author. If anyone knows the source of this story, PLEASE send a comment, “Attention, Ed Coster, Madison Lodge”, so that we can acknowledge the author and give him or her the richly deserved credit on this page.}

This is a paid post contributed by a Community Partner, a local brand partner. To learn more, click here.