This waas sent to me by special spam delivery, but is nice nonetheless.
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in
front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full?
They agreed that yes, it was. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up every-thing else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your
life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your
health, and your children - anything that is so important to you that if
it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, house, or car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff." "If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important."
Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your
children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out
dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a
dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first - the
things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just pebbles and
sand. May there always be work for your hands to do; May your purse always hold a coin or two; May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near; May *** fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. (An Irish Blessing)