A philosophy professor stood before his 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 proceeded to fill it with 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 into the jar. He
shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course,
rolled into the open areas between the
rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar. Of course, the sand
filled up everything else. He then asked once more
if the jar was full. The students
responded with an unanimous-yes.

The professor then produced a bottle of red wine
from under the table and proceeded
to pour 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 rocks are the
important things-your family, your
partner, your health, your children-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, 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 rocks. The same goes for your 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. 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 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 good bottle of wine.

Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we
take, but by the moments
that take our breath away.