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 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.'
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Bruce Springsteen: THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
Live at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA on September 30, 1985 (penultimate show of the "Born In The U.S.A." tour).
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Plans of historic homes get 21st-century updates
ISUS trade skills students working on green project
By Steve Bennish
Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
DAYTON — Nick Burns is getting more than a carpenter's apron full of technical know-how as part of a team of 150 construction trade skills students embarking on an unusual quest in the city's historic Wright Dunbar neighborhood.
Their goal is to make 19th century style homes hum with 21st century green technology. The project promises to make Burns, 18, more competitive in a tougher-than-nails job market.
It won't be easy, but their plan is to build residences designed in the spirit of the family homes of five of America's leading aviation pioneers and one resembling inventor Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab office.
The Edison structure will be particularly novel because it will generate all of its energy needs.
Each of the homes will be super energy efficient. Each will highlight a specific facet of green technology and design — such as water conservation, solar energy generation and/or solar heating.
This ambitious effort will merge traditional architecture with the latest environmentally progressive home building technologies, said Ann Higdon, president of ISUS Inc., the trade skills charter school that is deploying the students on the $2 million project.
The effort coincides with Gov. Strickland's plan to develop a master inventory of green energy projects throughout the Buckeye State as a new era in American industry begins.
State, regional and local officials are hosting a meeting on the topic Thursday, March 5, at Wright State University.
In a housing market as rough as anyone can remember, Higdon said she is confident the homes will draw buyers, because each will pack curb appeal with the prospect of very low energy and heating costs.
And just as important, the project will train a new generation in green energy housing construction while redeveloping the neighborhood where the Wright brothers got their start.
Family homes that will be re-created
The ISUS project has the blueprint designs from the family homes of:
- Dayton's Wilbur and Orville Wright.
- Ohio astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.
- Pilots Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman.
140 N Keowee St
Dayton, OH 45402
(937) 223-2323
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