The Mayonaise Jar

This morning I was sent this and I thought it poignant at this time of year where everything is so frenetic. It's an oldie but it's message is still relevant - especially in today's age of social media.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem , almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

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 cups of coffee 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 - family,
children, health, Friends, and 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, house, and 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.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

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 coffee 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 cups of coffee with a friend.'

Remember your golf balls this Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone.

School holidays - dream or nightmare?

As a kid I always looked forward to the school holidays. 6 long weeks of holiday. Not being at school. Bliss!

Even as an adult, I still look forward to it. I think I have this image in my head of a long warm summer, of playing in the park, of holiday trips out and that idyllic scene of the perfect family. How quintessentially deluded!

And yet, despite my eldest offspring recently turning 11, I continue to try and delude myself that summer will fly and that before we know it, it's school time again. Perhaps this year, it was a bit of a crunch year, the eldest is going to secondary and the middle child is joining year 1. Perhaps it is holding on to this fictional vision in the attempt of overcoming the rest of life's challenges.

This year, and for reasons of money among other things, we went camping! eeek!

Camping! Well that was my reaction. I have never slept under canvas, and after having stayed at many hotels, caravan parks and other such things, and have never felt the need to experience such things. Tails of flooding, being washed away, hairy showers, smelly toilets etc have really put me off. However, Wifey always overcomes such things, she books it anyway!
A new romantic image surfaced, of the family camping, cooking on an open flame while huddled in our sleeping bags filled my mind. (Anyone starts humming Kumbyah, I WILL find you!)
I think I need to stop reading Enid Blyton.

The reality was very different and thank God we had good weather or else I would have been a miserable so and so for the whole week of camping. By Tuesday (we got there Sunday) I had accepted that this was my lot and discovered that 2 ales of an evening very much helps a good nights sleep and that this was likely to be the only holiday I have this year so make the most of it.
We were camping with a group of friends and the evening socials were excellent and really made the holiday.

The romantic idyll it was not, but a very enjoyable experience it was! (would you like some sauce with your hat?)

Back to home though and the rest of the holidays and the dream was still there for days out with my wonderful family, not a care in the world, just enjoying life and the blessings we have.

Of course the harsh reality is nothing like the dream. The washing, cooking and cleaning still needs to be done. I still have to work, childcare needs to be sorted for when wifey works - in fact holidays cause us more bother about the childcare than school times. So, with 2 weeks to go, 3 kids who are climbing the walls no matter what we do with them, I am now very much looking forward to when school starts again!

I wonder how many parents are thinking the same?

13 years. Unlucky – well not for me

Today it is my wedding anniversary. I have been married to my lovely wife for 13 years. Aside from the usual jokes and retorts about ‘now it’s officially longer than manslaughter/life imprisonment’ etc., it has felt like a lifetime and it has also gone in a blink.

Just to share with you a little history.

I met my wife in my local pub after coming back from a party in Milton Keynes. Back then; a lot of things were different. I had hair for one thing and a rather unfortunate ego!

At my local, they had live music every Saturday. So amidst the noise and cacophony of the band and the punters, I sidled up to the bar, ordered my drink and as the bar maid brought change to the lady next to me, she managed to drop it into her drink. I turned, made eye contact and said ‘I bet you couldn’t do that again if you tried’. I received a big beaming smile from a rather attractive face. I was the younger Corleone in the Godfather, the thunderbolt had struck me. In my minds eye, there was only here, no sound except the rushing of blood in my ears. We dragged our gazes away and found our respective friends in the pub, continuing to eye each other up from each side of the pub.

I knew this girl was special, wasn’t sure exactly why and so after a bit of bravado and some showing off, which was shortly followed by me being put right in my place, I knew I had met my match if not more.

I long night of talking in a car park - really just talking. No mean feat at -2º and after inviting her to come and watch my band (it wasn’t my band but it made me sound cool) on Wednesday we parted with me on cloud 9!

It wasn’t until she had gone did I realise that I hadn’t got her full name, or her number or anything. I really did have to take it on trust that she would come back. Come back she did, just in time to see the set. Afterwards, I proceeded to parade her round the pub as my girlfriend. She found this amusing

The rest, as they say, is history. But I always remember what a set of circumstances lead both of us to be in that pub that night. The party I went to really wasn’t my thing, a friend was driving passed the station so I could get a train home at a decent time and walk to my pub. Wifey’s cousin had heard that a VeeDub club met at set pub and decided to come over this way for once. So many coincidences, so many things could have changed on that night but if I hadn't of walked in and upto that bar at that exact point, would we have met?

13 years has flown in many respects. We have 3 beautiful children – the eldest of which starts secondary school in September. We have a fantastic home, have made some great friends over the time and our marriage seems to get stronger. There are downs as well as ups, but nothing that can’t be overcome. It has been hard work, but for a long time now (about 13 years or so) I have lived by the maxim that if it is worthwhile, it is worth working hard for. My marriage is definitely something that continues to reward and bless me.

So for those of you that are thinking about marriage, or are getting married, take a time to look at where you came from, and be prepared for hard work, compromise and above all else loving unconditionally. Remember your vows as they are your promises to each other and never break them.

It is only when you look from whence you came do you realise just how far you have travelled.