Bonus post for Day 16

I know I've stumbled upon this story before, but I think it's worth sharing with anyone who's reading...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle...
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 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 your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn. 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.


--author unknown

Day 7...

I'm sitting here staring at the computer screen wondering what to type. My mind has wandered a couple of different directions for topics this evening based on the last couple of days. Here are my thoughts for this evening...

- Just about any problem can be solved between friends who really care about each other with a 50¢ can of Miller High Life.
- I appreciate and I'm thankful I grew up in a small town like Jefferson, but I'm also glad to have my own life in Milwaukee. 
- Slicing open your knuckle is very frustrating and will take a long time to heal. It also will hurt every time you smack it on something. 
- It's a good feeling to have a clean apartment. (Yes, I did my dishes. No, I didn't put them away.)
- I miss baseball already. 177 days til pitchers and catchers report?
- I took a nap for almost 2 hours today during the Packer game (In my defense, they were up 14-0 when I fell asleep.) and I'm still tired at 10pm. Yikes. Wait, I went to bed at almost 2am last night. Nevermind...that makes sense.
- Trust your gut. It's usually right. Even if you don't want it to be.
- Somedays I feel like Facebook is just a place for engagement, wedding, pregnancy, and birth announcements. And it's exhausting.
- I think another letter blog post is coming. Ideas are being conjured up in my mind...but it's not quite time I don't think.
- Do you think Aaron Rodgers ever gets lonely? I mean, how hard does the guy work...and all these other players have wives to go home to, etc. And I get that it's a dream come true to be able to play football professionally. But do you ever think the guy just wishes he had someone to talk to?
- Super pumped I got my concert posters framed and up on the wall. Even if the guy next door did cuss me out through the wall for hammering three nails at 6:30PM tonight. 
- I am pretty excited that I figured out what I'm going to be for Halloween...and it's gonna be AWESOME! =)


Meh. That's all I got tonight. Hopefully I'll be more inspiring tomorrow. Night kids. Here's a little Ingrid gem...just love her music.