I thought I’d share something I had forwarded to me in an email awhile back. I don’t know who wrote it, so I can’t give proper credit.

A philosophy professor stood before his class with several items laid out on a table in front of him.

As the class began, he picked up a large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, each about 2″ in diameter. When he had piled the rocks to the brim, he asked the students if they thought the jar was full.

They all agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar, shaking it slightly so that the pebbles rolled into the gaps between the rocks. Once more, he asked the students if the jar was full.

Again, they agreed it was.

With that, the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar, where it filled the spaces between the rocks and the pebbles.

“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, your children – things that would still make your life full even if everything else was lost. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else; the small details of life.

“If you put the sand into the jar first, there will be 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 most important to you. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. The rest is just sand.”

At this point a student stood up, popped the cap on a bottle of pale ale and walked to the front of the room. Taking the supposedly full mayonnaise jar from the professor, he raised the bottle and poured it into the jar, filling the remaining spaces with the ale and proving that…

…no matter how full your life, there is always room for beer!