Article published in Snap East Kooteany's fist issue

This short story was written by Laura Bankston, she suggests sharing it with friends, I hope you enjoy it.


A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items on the desk in from front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. “Is the jar, in your opinion full?” He asked the class. “Yes!” was their reply.

The professor then added a box of pebbles, giving the jar a gently shake to settle them. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked again, “ Is the jar full?” They agreed it was now full.

The professor next poured the contents of a box of sand into the jar with the golf balls. “Is the jar now full?” once again he asked the class. Their answer was, “Yes!”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling all 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 wife and children, your health, your friends your passions --- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”

He went on to say, “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 in 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 you wife to dinner, have a medical checkup. Play another 18 holes of golf. There will always be time to clean the house or fix the broken faucet or mow the lawn. 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.” He said, “ It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

To learn more about Laura go to her website http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com