You may have heard this story of this professor’s illustration and determining what is important in life. It has been around the internet and certainly on Facebook where I first saw the video. It is called: Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand.
“A philosophy professor once stood up before his class with a large empty mayonnaise jar. He filled the jar to the top with large rocks and asked his students if the jar was full. His students all agreed the jar was full. He then added small pebbles to the jar, and gave the jar a bit of a shake so the pebbles could disperse themselves among the larger rocks. Then he asked again, “Is the jar full now?” The students agreed that the jar was still full. The professor then poured sand into the jar to fill up all the remaining empty space. The students then agreed again that the jar was full.”
The rocks, pebbles, and sand represent the activities of your life. The rocks are the important values and activities in your life that ground you. That bring fulfillment, satisfaction, and enjoyment to you. If gone, your life feels meaningless. The pebbles are those things that you could live without and are not critical for you to have to experience a meaningful life. The sand is the things that are non-essential items or activities that do not add significant value to your life. The metaphor here is that if you start with putting sand into the jar, you will not have room for rocks or pebbles. You lose sight of the things that are actually important.
I remember during my college days, I scheduled my classes around the soap opera, General Hospital. I would rush home from class and watch the show as I readied myself for field hockey practice. I don’t remember a specific date or time, but I realized I was watching too much TV. My life was empty. My social life was nil. All I really knew was work and my TV programming. I decided I needed to change that. So, I got rid of the TV. I figured, if I needed to watch the Oregon Ducks play football, then I could go to a friend’s home or a local libation establishment. There was a way where I could make it happen. I remember getting calls from Charter wanting to give me their “bundle package”, to which I would answer, “I don’t have a TV. Thank you.” There would be silence at the other end of the phone. As a result, my life became more full, lived, and meaningful.
In this day of where our lives can easily be turned upside down on a dime, what are the things or values that a really important to you? What are the rocks that give your life the solid foundation that you need?
Blessings,
Rev. Anne