Life Story

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 Favorite 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.'

Professions

I think I missed my called as an herb gatherer/healer...too bad the profession doesn't really exist in the mainstream anymore.

Step II: Health

Tonight, I do something I hate...I join a gym. I hate gyms, I hate them so much, and I am so bad about going to them, but I need to get in shape. I also think they are overpriced, and annoying. I could do a lot of other things with that money, but you know what, I also want to live a long and healthy life as much as possible.

Blarg, stupid gyms. At least they have a month-to-month plan so I can stop if I hate it.

Edit: Maybe I will try DVDs again, or P90X at the behest of my sister-in-law, who I trust on such matters. 

Random Truth #5

I love dogs more than cats.

Henna

I have wanted to dye my hair red for some time, but I hate commercial dyes, and think salons are too expensive, which they are. Being an eco-minded person, I started to research henna as a means of dyeing my hair, and let me tell you, I love it.

This weekend my husband applied henna to my hair, and it has come out this amazing red color. It isn't too bright, and it isn't too dark, and I didn't kill any little animals in the process. In sunlight the henna is a very vibrant red, and in indoor light it looks like my natural color with red highlighting. Here are some pictures:

Home, Sweet 351-square feet

I have always wanted to live in an efficient, environmentally friendly home. In recent years, this has started equating to small, homey, and efficient uses of space. I have been further inspired by this couple, who had a large home and after a fire decided to modify and live in 351-square feet.

Here is the article on that story.

Dresses

I am officially becoming a dress person. My mother is finally getting what she wanted all those years ago...I'm wearing dresses. Mind you, my mother was sweet and never pushed the issue, and she let me be a tomboy all I wanted, but she would have liked it a lot if I had enjoyed dresses, makeup, and shoes.

My favorite pieces of clothing are about 6 dresses: 2 retro wiggle dresses, 2 modern retro-ish dresses, a sweater dress, and another retro mod-dress. Now I am looking at 2-3 more that I really like:

 

I definitely want to try and sew these...now to get motivated to sew. I am always so motivated to do things when I am at work, and I get all excited, and then I go home, and my brain turns to mush, and I never seem to get anything done.