This is one of my photos for the exhibition.
I want to tell you a story. I think it`s one of those stories that are wandering around Blogland…but today when my life felt extra hectic with work and preparations for my exhibition it sort of stuck…… and reading it made me put my work aside for awhile and making waffles with my daughter instead.
I read it in Swedish and have translated it for you… here goes...
When things in your life have become almost too much to handle and 24 hours doesn’t feel like enough time remember the jar of mayo and two cups of coffee: A professor stood before his class of philosophy students with a few objects on a table before him. When the class started he silently lifted a very big and empty glass jar of mayo and started to fill it up with golf balls. He then asked his students if the jar was full. The students said that yes it was. Then the professor takes a box of little pebbles and pour them into the jar too. He shook it and the pebbles filled up the small spaces in between the golf balls. Again he asked the students if the jar was full and the students said yes it was. Then the professor took a box filled with sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the rest of the empty space between the golf balls and the pebbles and once again he asked if the jar was full. The students answered with an unanimous YES! Then the professor placed two cups of coffee on the table and silently poured them into the jar and they efficiently filled the last space left between the grains of sand. The students laughed.
Now, the professor said when the room was silent again I want you to imagine that the jar represents your life. The golf balls is all the important things, family, children, your health and other things your are passionate about. Things – that if everything else was lost and only these things remained your life would still be good and fulfilled. The pebbles represents other things that are important to you, a home, a job and a car maybe. The sand represents everything else – the little things! If you put the sand in the jar first then you have no space left for the golf balls or the pebbles. It`s the same thing with life. If you put all your time and energy on the little things then there is no space left for the really important things. So be attentive on whats important for your happiness and fulfillment. Spend time with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Do things that you are passionate about. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that are really important to you. There is always another day for cleaning the house. Restore what is important in your life – the rest is just sand. One of the students asked “ What does the coffee represent?” The professor smiled and said I am glad you asked. The coffe is there because I wanted to show you that however hectic and crammed your life might feel there is always time for a cup of coffee with a friend!
Take care
Jeanette
When things in your life have become almost too much to handle and 24 hours doesn’t feel like enough time remember the jar of mayo and two cups of coffee: A professor stood before his class of philosophy students with a few objects on a table before him. When the class started he silently lifted a very big and empty glass jar of mayo and started to fill it up with golf balls. He then asked his students if the jar was full. The students said that yes it was. Then the professor takes a box of little pebbles and pour them into the jar too. He shook it and the pebbles filled up the small spaces in between the golf balls. Again he asked the students if the jar was full and the students said yes it was. Then the professor took a box filled with sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the rest of the empty space between the golf balls and the pebbles and once again he asked if the jar was full. The students answered with an unanimous YES! Then the professor placed two cups of coffee on the table and silently poured them into the jar and they efficiently filled the last space left between the grains of sand. The students laughed.
Now, the professor said when the room was silent again I want you to imagine that the jar represents your life. The golf balls is all the important things, family, children, your health and other things your are passionate about. Things – that if everything else was lost and only these things remained your life would still be good and fulfilled. The pebbles represents other things that are important to you, a home, a job and a car maybe. The sand represents everything else – the little things! If you put the sand in the jar first then you have no space left for the golf balls or the pebbles. It`s the same thing with life. If you put all your time and energy on the little things then there is no space left for the really important things. So be attentive on whats important for your happiness and fulfillment. Spend time with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Do things that you are passionate about. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that are really important to you. There is always another day for cleaning the house. Restore what is important in your life – the rest is just sand. One of the students asked “ What does the coffee represent?” The professor smiled and said I am glad you asked. The coffe is there because I wanted to show you that however hectic and crammed your life might feel there is always time for a cup of coffee with a friend!
Take care
Jeanette
