Glass Full

A teacher stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty jam jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in width. The teacher 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 if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The teacher then 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. This time the students were sure and they eagerly shouted "YES!"

The teacher then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the drinks into the jar which filled the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the teacher, "I want you to understand that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your friends, 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 home and your school. The sand is everything else, the small stuff like shopping, your ipod and your computer "If you put the sand into the jar first," the teacher said "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 can bring you true happiness. Find the time to do things as a family, talk together, eat together and, listen to one another. There will always be time to upload the latest release on your ipod. "Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the beer represented. The teacher 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 to share a beer with your family and friends”

The moral of this story is: Find space for the bigger things in life.