Good Coffee and Good Company

This is an excerpt from an article I read a long time ago that I would like to share with you. Unfortunately, I could not recall which newspaper it came from but it was written by Atty. Rodel Rodis.

     The article was about a college professor who started his philosophy class by presenting his students with a large empty mayonnaise jar. He then proceeded to fill it with golf balls. Is this jar full?' he asked his students. They nodded in agreement.

     The professor then picked up a box of pebbles under the table which he dumped into the jar, which he shook to allow the pebbles to roll into the open areas. Is the jar full now? he asked again. And again the students agreed that it was.

     The professor then picked up a box of sand, also from under the table, which he poured into the jar. The sand filled up what little space there was left. Would you say the jar was now full? he asked. The students responded with a loud Yes! This time they were really sure.

     The professor smiled and then produced two cups of coffee which he poured into the jar filling the empty spaces in the jar.

      When the professor announced that the jar was now full, the students laughed. The golf balls are the important things - your God, your family, your health, your community, your friends - whatever you consider to be the most important things in your life. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full, he said.

     The pebbles, on the other hand, represent the other things that matter to you such as your job, your house, perhaps your car.

     The sand is everything else - the small stuff - like your computer, your cell phone, your HDTV, your DVDs, your shoes and clothes.

     If you pour the sand into the jar first, the professor told his students, then you won't have space for the golf balls and the pebbles.

     If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, he said, then you will never have room for the things that are truly important to you.

     The professor told his students to pay attention to the things are truly critical to your happiness. They should make time to spend with their family. They should go on vacations together. They should take time to get their medical check-ups. Play golf or tennis or go swimming at the YMCA. There will time to clean the house or buy another shirt or skirt.

     Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

      As his words sank in to his students, one of them raised her hand and asked the professor, What about the cups of coffee?

      I'm glad you asked, he said. It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room to share a cup of coffee with a friend.

Likewise, I always have the time to share a cup of coffee with you, my friend. Just call me!

Ulysses S. Chua