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, 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 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- 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. Ride your bike with friends or just feel the breeze. 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Filed under: Coffee, Life

Feeling Incredibly Guilty

And it’s not even my fault.

I’ve been promising Tanner that I would stop at the local Bearclaw coffee shop one morning on our way to school. Every time I stop and get a coffee they put a little Tootsie Roll on top which I give to Tanner for a special little early morning treat.

Well today, after a couple weeks of promises, I finally stopped even though we were running a little behind. I just thought he’d enjoy the treat, and I wouldn’t mind a mocha on the first official day of Fall.

I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now, but they didn’t have any Tootsie Rolls. And we were running behind as it was so I couldn’t stop anywhere to make it up to him. I promised him that I’d have a nice surprise for him when he got home tonight, and he was totally cool about it, but man do I feel incredibly guilty about the way that played out.

Filed under: Coffee, Guilt

Case of the Monday’s

I think I have a case of the Monday’s this morning.

Just a blah kind of day today. I think it has to do with me totally missing my sabbath rest yesterday. It’s amazing how much you come to rely on those days when you just lay on the couch and recover from the week of responsibilities and deadlines.

But yesterday I was on edge all day. The Dish guy came and drilled holes in my nice siding and my new roof, tracked mud all over the floor, and completely reformatted my entire television life. All the while my son and dog were trying to figure out what in the world was going on in their house (read extremely hyper).

To relieve the stress I took a long hot shower and went to the 10pm showing of Rambo with my brother. Pretty sure that didn’t relieve any stress, but it was a nice preview of what the game will look like next week. I was planning on making some wings for that game, but in an effort to regain my sabbath rest next Sunday, I’ll be shelling out for someone else to make me some wings.

Oh, and Jason didn’t make me any coffee this morning… ugh.

Manic Monday – Bangles

Filed under: Bangles, Butt-Dragging, Coffee, Monday's, Office Space, Work

McStarbucks Update

Well, I’m just about a month into my McDonalds / Starbucks experiement.

Starbucks has been no problem at all, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t been drawn to the golden arches and their juicy offerings. The most tempting items for me so far have been their ice cold Coke (Why do theirs taste so much better? Real cocaine?), all of their breakfast sandwiches, and their new coffee line. I was just starting to get into that conveniently cheap mocha.

Coincidentally, Starbucks and McDonalds are really in the beginning stages of an all out coffee brawl. Fresh on the heels of the news that McDonald’s is gonna start schlepping lattes, Starbucks has counterattacked with the announcement that they will try a pilot project where they will sell $1.00 coffees with free refills.

Hopefully the best deals don’t happen until next year.

(ht: Razor Creative)

Filed under: Coffee, McDonalds, Resolutions, Starbucks

I’m Smellin’ Coffee

Fall has finally hit Michigan. The leafs are changing colors quickly, and the temperature has now expanded our clothing options to include sweaters and sweatshirts.

Last night Tonia and I decided to modify our morning routine to include some hot beverages as we walk out the door. So we dusted off our little 4-cup coffee maker, bought some Breakfast Blend coffee and Vanilla Caramel creamer.

This morning I woke up to the sweet smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen. I think I’m going to love this new routine!

Smellin’ Coffee — Chris Rice

Filed under: Chris Rice, Coffee, Fall, Michigan, Morning

Nervous Little Dogs

* Remedy review coming soon.

Filed under: Coffee, Dogs, Far Side

RSS’n

I was a little behind in getting into RSS to begin with. And it seems that I’m late getting into RSS grouping as well!

My subscriptions were getting a little out of hand lately, so this morning I organized them all into groups. This is working out beautifully. I’m even in the hunt for a few more quality subscriptions now. Here are a few new ones that I recommend:

» perk-o-late.com
» lifehacker.com
» Logic + Emotion
» Brand New
» inavandownbytheriver.com
» damncoolpics.blogpsot.com

Filed under: Coffee, Feed Readers, NetNewsWire Lite, RSS, WIRED

Advertising News

» Cult Cola Maker Jones Soda Names First Agency

» You Want Apple Fries With That?

» Outraged Tainted by Hypocrisy

» What’s A TV Show Worth?

» Want a Quiet Cup of Coffee in Germany? Head to McDonald’s

Filed under: Advertising, Burger King, Coffee, Jones Cola, Marketing, McDonalds, TV

Coffeehouse Community

And I don’t even drink coffee.

Was it so much to ask last night? All we wanted was to grab a table at a cozy little coffee shop and enjoy some community, perhaps listen to a little live music. There was even a coffeehouse literally right next door. Too bad it closed at 6:00pm and it was now 7:20pm. So we put our minds together to find another place to commune that wasn’t too far away. We settled on this little place we knew that was only 10 minutes away. Would you believe that was closed as well? We’ve got one last shot at this before we end up canceling it or going to a restaurant. John knew of a place down the street.

It was open so I shouldn’t complain, but did we really have to settle for a coffee shop that doubles as a tanning salon, and triples as a laundry matt? They didn’t even have tables in the coffee area that seated more than two, so we had to sit in the laundry area. So the five of us enjoyed some decent coffee at a laundry matt. And I got depressed.

I’ve come so far away from what I’m used to, and desire, in the few short years since college. I no longer have a large community of friends my age. And the ones I have all have kids, and their families are their priorities now. I live in a community that literally closes down at 6:00pm. Just the other day I mentioned to Tonia how sad it was that a gas station in my town closed at 10:00pm. What am I doing here? I know just 35 minutes away there is a thriving community of similar aged people, and a town that doesn’t close so quickly. Why don’t I move there? I could commute and it would actually be a nicer drive for Tonia.

I just might. To be brutally honest, if it wasn’t for our entire family (I’m talking moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles) living right here, as well as all the friends we do have here, I’d be working in Dallas right now. (Al Gore forgot to tell Michigan about that whole global warming thing.)

Sorry for the rant. I just don’t know how to live out my creed of Stop Existing and Start Living where I’m at when everything and everybody closes down after 6:00pm.

Filed under: Coffee, Community, Life

A Cup of Life

[Received this in an email last week and enjoyed the message]

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
 
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
 
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds NO quality to the coffee.  In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.  What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this:  
 
Life is the coffee.

The jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.” God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.”

Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Filed under: Coffee, Life