Philosophy class

This story isn't new, but it gives me renewed focus whenever I re-read it. *********** A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items on the desk in front of him. When the class began, he picked up an empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles settled into the spaces between the golf balls. Again he asked the students if the jar was full. They reluctantly agreed it was, a little less sure of themselves. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining space. Once more he asked if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous, exasperated, "Yes!" and a smattering of giggling. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favourite passions - things that if everything else were 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 golf balls. The same goes for 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 your partner out to dinner. Go out with friends. There will always be time to clean the house and do the laundry. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students walked up to the front, produced two cans of beer and poured them into the jar, effectively filling the space between the grains of sand. The professor asked what he was doing. "Professor," he replied "I just wanted to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."