When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly 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 an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. All of the students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things. God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions. 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 in 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 checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 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 does the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend." [Reply]
You just CAN'T let your teeth go. I know (personally) that it sucks to go in and get everything fixed after you've neglected it for a few years (or decades), but you've simply GOT to. Tooth decay is SIGNIFICANTLY associated with MAJOR chronic health problems. Not saying this was the case in Psyko's (RIP) case as it sounds like more of a tragic one-off event, but just as an FYI.
I had perfect teeth and stopped going to the dentist when I was in college. Kept putting it off and putting it off, next thing you knew, I hadn't been to dentist in 10 years. My teeth still looked great, but they were starting to fail in the back. Long story short, $15k, 3 implants, 2 root canals, 2 crowns, and multiple redone fillings later, I finally got a handle on it. Now back to going every 6 months like I should have been all along. Reading about all the diseases caused by tooth decay scared me straight.
We need to do everything we can to keep ourselves off this list for as long as possible. [Reply]