Our priorities

A philosophy professor stood before his students with some items on the table 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 rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – 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, your house, 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 rocks. The same goes for your 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. Play with your children. Take your partner out for a walk, and spend some time with your parents and friends...There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matters. Set your priorities. The rest is sand, which is also important to fill your life.”

A Saint

Anastasius was an abbot of a monastery in Egypt. The monastery had a large collection of books, one among them being a rare volume, worth a fortune.

One day a visiting monk chanced upon the book and succumbing to temptation walked away with it. The theft was discovered the same day and it was not hard to guess who the culprit was but Anastasius refused to send anyone after the monk for fear that he might say he had not taken it and add the sin of perjury to that of theft. 

The monk meanwhile was trying to sell the book and eventually found a buyer, a rich man who asked him to leave the book with him for a day so that he could get it evaluated.

When the monk had gone, the man hastened to the monastery and showed the book to Anastasius. The abbot recognized it instantly but did not say anything.

“A monk wants to sell it to me,” said his visitor. “He’s asking for a gold sovereign. You are knowledgeable about books. Is this book worth that much?”

“It’s worth much much more than a sovereign,” said the abbot. “It’s a valuable book.”

The man thanked the abbot and left. The next day when the monk came, he informed him that he would like to buy the book and was prepared to pay the price he had mentioned. The monk was overjoyed.

“Whom did you show it to?” he asked.

“Anastasius, the abbot.”

His visitor turned pale. “A-And what did he say?” 

“He said the book was worth a sovereign.”

“And what else?”

“Nothing.”

The monk was both amazed and touched. He realized that the abbot had refused to reclaim his lost treasure so that he, the thief would not get into trouble. Nobody had ever shown him such love; nobody had ever behaved so nobly towards him.

“I’ve changed my mind, I don’t want to sell it,” he said and took the book from the man.

“I’ll give you two sovereigns,” said the customer.

The monk walked away without answering. He went directly to the monastery and handed the book to the abbot, tears brimming in his eyes.

“Keep it,” said Anastasius. “When I learnt you had borrowed it I decided to give it to you.”

“Please take it back,” pleaded the monk, “but let me stay here and learn wisdom from you.”

His wish was granted. He spent the rest of his years in the monastery modelling his life after that of the saintly Anastasius.

Friends, some times we preach a lot to our friends and neighbours,but we fail to follow what we preach. Our actions speaks louder than our words. Here, Anastasius had no conversation with the monk, but his actions spoke, how good and holy he was.

A Simple Sweet Smile

Once when I was waiting for a particular train at late night, an incident that happened amazed me. I saw a weary old father, walking cheerfully with heavy bundles on his head, holding his little daughter. He lifted the things down on a stone bench and looked very pathetic. In a few seconds I saw him smiling sincerely at someone, which made me curious to know who is at the other end. It was his elder daughter who came towards him smiling and kissing her sleepy younger sister whom she was carrying in her left arms and a bundle in her right shoulder. When the father and his daughters were exchanging their love, again I saw a little girl walking slowly towards them, with eyelids half closed in drowsiness, stumbling both the sides, dragging a small bundle. When the elder sister saw that her little sister coming towards them with drowsing heavy-eyes, she rushed to her aid, embraced her, hold her in her arms and showered her with kisses. After a few steps, it also astonished me to see, that the little bud, opened her eyes widely, hold on her elder sister's neck tightly with a smile and kissed her in turn of the warm affection that she received from her. Finally they all came together and sat down for their supper with full blooming face.

My dear sisters and brothers, this may an event in our day to day life. But it taught me some values in my life, which no one can teach in words. Though they were burdened the whole day, it was their affectionate love for one another that kept them moving on. Many times when others smile at us, it has brought some changes in our life, which we have never realized because we have taken them for granted.

An honest smile makes others to forget their hard times in life. Our smile is enough to encourage the down trodden and to let the captives free. God never asked any great things or miracles from us. He said just to love our neighbours as He loves us. Our genuine Smile of today can change the life of someone tomorrow. Our heart felt smile has the power to heal the wounds and to break the stony hearts. Look around us, where people struggle due to various reasons which we never thought of, in our lives. You and I cannot go and aid them individually. So let us just give a blessing of smile and see what happens in our life and theirs too.

A Smile costs nothing, but does many things in life. It can do miracles. So my dear friends carry the medicine SMILE with you, wherever you go and heal the wounded souls. SMILE begets SMILE.

Now SMILE please. Thanks, cos ur smile is valuable for me too.