Life in a jar

On the very last lesson of the school year the teacher put an empty glass jar on the table without saying a word. She started filling it will colourful balls of different sizes, squeezing them into the jar until no more could fit.

-Is the jar full? she asked the students. Some said yes, some said no. So she took from her bag a bowl filled with sparkling marbles in bright colours, and started putting them in the jar. They fell between the balls, filling the holes and empty spaces between them, catching the light from the sun through the window. She shook the jar and continued to fill it until she could not find room for even a tiny marble.

-Is the jar full? she again asked the students. More said yes, but some still said no. So she took from her bag another bowl filled with soft sand. Carefully she poured the sand into the jar, again shaking it so the sand would fill all the tiny empty holes between the marbles and the balls. She smoothed the sand at the top of the jar, some fell to the table, and for the third time she asked the students:

-Is the jar full? Yes, they said, except one or two who still shook their heads.

-Well, said the teacher, this here jar represents your lives. The balls represent the things that bring meaning to your life, the things you could not take away without changing your life for the worse. They represent family, health, home. Children and friends, food on the table and love. If everything else disappeared and only the balls remained, your life would still be valuable and rich.

The marbles represent the other things in life that means a lot to you. Your hobbies, your workplace, your car for example. They make life colourful and sparkly.

The sand represents all the other things that fill your life, like bills, dentist appointments, horrible neighbours, standing in line and taxes.

Now, if you start by pouring the sand into the jar, and then the marbles, you could not fit all the balls in there. You must always remember to begin with the really important things. If you spend too much time and energy on the little things there’ll be no time for the big, important things. Play with your kids, spend time with your friends, kiss your loved ones and take care of your health.

The students were all nodding in agreement. The teacher now took the last thing from her bag. It was a bottle of bear. She opened it and poured it into the jar where it filled out the last pockets of air between the grains of sands, balls and marbles.

-And remember, she finished, no matter how complete your life may seem there’s always room for a single, nice, cold beer!