"The rest is just sand..."

My dad sent this to my brother and I via e-mail earlier today; I thought it'd be worthwhile to share:


The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of
him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and
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. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They
agreed it was.

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

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured
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 golf balls are the important
things---your family, your children, your health,
your friends and your favorite passions---and 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
and
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. Spend
time
with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with
grandparents.
Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play
another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the
disposal. Take care of the golf balls 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 Beer
represented.
The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's
always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.'

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID!!

This helped me to realize that are still some areas in my life that I could improve in as far prioritizing them; especially in light of seeming to put a lot of time, energy, and focus into these quixotic running goals. I think they are fun, worthwhile, and I have benefited on many levels as a result. Still, I worry that it can become an idol if it hasn't already (I don't feel that it has because I am trying to focus on God and glorifying Him through my running goals). I think that after this year, I think I am definitely going to cut back on the amount of races that I do. No that I haven't enjoyed all of them; all of the events I have done this year I can at least find one good and positive aspect about it. I think it may be a healthier idea in the long run. I know I was saying that last year, and yet here I am again running in races all over Maryland and Delaware. Though, I think there are some things that are more important in my life that I haven't treated as such. I am still planning on running and doing races, though maybe just every now and then traveling from where I live. I would like to see about getting more involved in the community church that I attend, and in fact I'm hoping to go on a retreat with the Fusion young adult ministry at that church in the next couple of weeks or so, so maybe I might get some clarity on that. Bottom line is I hope to spend more quality time with God as well. Doing missions trips may not be a bad idea either; I still am hoping to get back to the southern area of the United States to help with natural disaster relief efforts (back in late January of 2006, I was in Biloxi, Mississippi with some friends helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and I thought it may be worthwhile to go back because it looked like there was still a lot to be done).
In addition, I think that if things go well I may actually be in graduate school around this time next year, and I'm sure that will take some time, focus, and money. Plus, I think it would leave me more available for my family and friends (some of whom I've made over the course of these past couple of years going all over Maryland and Delaware with running events). Plus, it can give me time to work on my writing projects (such as this journal that I hope to have published in the future, God-willing, about my experiences doing these Maryland-wide running and racing endeavors in 2007 as well as this year). I think this will free up a lot more time to do other things, and I won't always feel so... busy all the time to say the least.

I'm definitely not making out my recent running and racing activity to be "sand" here, but it does take up quite a bit of me in general, and while I am passionate about it, I feel like other people who are important to me in my life and other priorities should not have to always be competing with it.

Just thought I'd share with you my thoughts on that; I hope that that message helped inspire you today to examine what is important. Thank you for stoppin' by; please enjoy the day!!!!