[lfjokes] The real meaning of life

[Simondo]

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of 
him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty 
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. 
He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.  

So the professor 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 again if the jar was full. They 
agreed it was. The students laughed.  

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, 
the sand filled up everything else.   "Now," said the professor, "I want you to 
recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things: your 
family, your partner, your health, your children - 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 job, your house, and your car. The sand 
is everything else. The small stuff."  

"If you put the Sand into the jar first, 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 are critical to your happiness. Play with 
your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out 
dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a 
dinner party and fix the disposal."  

"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. 
The rest is just sand."  

At that point, a student walked to the front of the class and took the Jar that 
the other students and the professor had agreed was full. He proceeded to 
pour a glass of beer into the jar. The beer quickly soaked into the sand, filling 
the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.   All of which 
goes to prove (as if proof were needed) that, no matter how full your life is, 
there is always room for a beer.