While not BPD-related, this is a story that was posted by a member of the ATSTP Group to let us remember our priorities. Neither the poster or I know the origin of this story:
TWO GLASSES OF WINE…
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle……when 24 hours in
a day are not enough….. remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of
wine…
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty
Mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They
agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now’, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to
recognise that this jar represents your life….. The golf balls are the
important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends,
and your favourite passions; 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, 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 time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out to
dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will
always be time to clean the house and fix the shelves.
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 wine
represented.
The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of
glasses of wine with a friend.’
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