The Mayonnaise Jar and the Two Beers

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 two beers.

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 beers 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 recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—and 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. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. 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 the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’

The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.’

That’s a pretty good message, I think – especially as we begin the holiday season. Enjoy!

On Friday, (after a quick swim in the pool) I did some shopping with my Mom and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding rehearsal. After a few more dips in the pool, I went to the rehearsal at the Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey (which is a beautiful facility, by the way). The rehearsal dinner was at La Strada (in the same town) and the food was outstanding. At the rehearsal dinner, the bride and groom-to-be gave the bridal party and the groomsmen some presents. I got some funny gag gifts – How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter, an Obama for President deck of cards, a Snuggie, and Go Dog Go (my favorite children’s book). I also was given a really nice pen, which is great because it’s really something that I needed.

On Saturday, I slept in a little bit before spending some time in the pool with the groom and his brothers (the other groomsmen). To the bride and grooms’ great credit, the entire day of the wedding was planned down to the minute so after I cleaned up after the pool and got lunch, the guys were transported to the Meadow Wood Manor and sent down to the game room. As the guests filed in upstairs and the bride arrived, the guys played some Wii and had a toast to the groom.

The there was the wedding, which I don’t think I need to get into too much detail on. It was a spectacular wedding – definitely the best wedding I’ve ever attended (and that’s not just because I was the best man – it really was that good). I can’t say enough good things about the Meadow Wood Manor and how amazing their service was, how delicious the food was, how elegant the decor was – it was just perfect. On top of that, the owner of the facility was on hand and personally attending to each of the tables to be sure that everyone was satisfied. You honestly don’t get that type of service any more. Very impressive facility and very impressive service.

To let you know how good the wedding was, I thought I’d share this picture of me and one of the guys that I advised in college:

Yeah. A little alcohol, a little Bon Jovi, and a lot of good people and that’s what you get! No complaints from this end, though.

Both the bride and the groom have amazing families and I was honored to meet and become friends with them. I was also honored to stand up and say a few words after the bridesmaid (the bride’s sister) gave a speech. It was a great wedding.

The next day I suffered from some pretty severe heartburn (pounding Yuenglings will do that to you), which I actually was battling through this morning. But, today was back to work and – as such – back to putting new content on this blog!

I’m also looking forward to seeing the great Eddie T – the webmaster of TBLWrestling.com. Eddie and I have formed a great friendship while he’s operated my wrestling website, but I’ve never had the opportunity to actually meet him. I’m looking forward to getting a beer with him on Tuesday.

One of my former New Jersey guys also moved out to California so I’m happy that I get to see him, too!

And, of course, let’s not forget that I’m going to be in Long Beach, California. I’m looking forward to getting some quality beach time and looking at the lovely ladies that I hear so much about!

Anyway, I’ll be back in New Jersey and back blogging again starting the following Tuesday, August 5th. Until then, go back and read some of the archives!