The important things

I thought I would share this with this group. It is something I received in an email that I modified for the baseball audience here.


A coach stood before his players and had some items in front of him.

He wordlessly picked up an empty 5-gallon bucket and proceeded to fill it with baseballs. He then asked the players if the bucket was full.

They agreed that it was.

The coach then picked up a helmet full of pebbles and poured them into the bucket.
He shook the bucket lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the baseballs.

He then asked the players again if the bucket was full.

They agreed it was.

The coach next scooped up a few handfuls of sand and sprinkled them into the bucket.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the bucket was
full.

The players responded with a unanimous "yes Coach.”

The coach then produced two bottles of water and poured the entire contents into the bucket effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The players groaned and laughed.

"Now," said the coach as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this bucket represents your life. The baseballs are the important things---God, 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 bucket first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the baseballs. 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. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play that double header. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the baseballs first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand."

One of the players inquired what the water represented.

The coach 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 drinks with a friend."