| Life Support USA |
The Glass Jar A professor stood before his class with some items on the desk in front of him. When the students were seated, he picked up a large and empty glass jar, and proceeded to fill it with large rocks. He then asked the students, "Is this jar full?" "Yes!", the class replied. He then picked up a box of pebbles and added them to the jar, shaking it lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. "Is this jar full?" "Yes!", the students said. But then he picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the bottle. The sand filled in everything else. Once more he asked, "Is this jar full now?" The class looked at him silently, trying to read his next move... The professor then took a liter of water from under the desk and poured it in. Astounded, the students gasped at this demonstration. After the muttering subsided, the professor spoke, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The big rocks are the important things in your life; your faith, your family, your husband or wife, your kids, your health. These things would remain steadfast, even if all else was lost, and your life would still be full. The pebbles are other things that matter...like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. The water just represents time. Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. The professor asked the class, "What is the lesson here?" A student answered quickly, "No matter how full you life is, you can always fit more in!" The professor said, "NO! The lesson here is... Put the big rocks in your life first, or you won't have room for them... The things that really matter, like family, prayer, letters and phone calls. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand!" The Donkey In The Well One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried pitifully. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. Shake it off and take a step up! Five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. OK, enough BS: The donkey came back later, and kicked that farmer square in the ass. The REAL Moral: When you try to cover your ass, it always comes back to get you!
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