I received this little story the other day and thought it was worth sharing. I have seen other versions similar to this, but this particular version is my favourite:
The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the “Mayonnaise Jar and the 2 Cups of Coffee.”
A teacher stood before his 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 it was.
He picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar and shook the jar lightly so the pebbles could roll into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The teacher then 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 teacher 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 teacher as the laughing 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 favourite 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 and grandchildren
* Spend time with your parents
* Visit with grandparents
* Take time to get medical checkups
* Take your spouse out to dinner
* Play another 18 holes of golf.”
“There will always be time to clean the house and fix the things that need fixing. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
A student raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The teacher smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked.”
“The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”
Author unknown
Great story, eh? Now you’ll have to excuse me because I've made a date to go out for coffee with my husband and our friends. I like to think I have my priorities straight!!
Until next time …….
~ B-Optimistic ~
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Taking Control - My First Visit to a Naturopath
There’s an old joke that goes something like this:
A man goes to his doctor because he is not well. After examining the man, the doctor sends him out of the examining room and asks his wife to come in so that he can speak to her alone. He explains that her husband will live, but only if she has sex with him every day for the rest of his life. On the way home, the husband asks his wife what the doctor said. She looked him directly in the eye and said, “You’re going to die.”
This joke came into my head after leaving my first naturopathic consultation yesterday. That should tell you how that appointment went.
Actually, it wasn’t that bad now that I have had a good night’s sleep and given the session time to sink in. But I am going to be honest. After 3 hours of being told that everything I was doing, eating, and thinking was detrimental to my wellbeing, my eyes started to glaze over and my “inner being” started looking for the nearest escape route …. I think you can probably see why that joke reappeared from my memory archives.
In a nutshell, here is a “short” list of what she said:
• Only eat organic meats
• Fruits and vegetables should be organic and in-season – stay away from fruit juices
• Use salt-free butter (not margarine) and drink milk only if it comes directly from the cow (a.k.a. raw)
• Cancer likes cold (I’d never heard this one before) so drink only tepid or hot water with lemon or lime juice
• Take warm or hot baths daily with either Epson salts or sea salt respectively
• Stay warm all the time; wear warm clothing and socks to bed so the feet never get cold
• Get fresh air and exercise daily
• Exchange the sugar in my diet with organic honey or maple syrup
• Eat like a King at breakfast, a Nobleman at lunch, and a pauper at dinner time
• No protein with dinner
• Drink horsetail tea (This weed grows out of control in my garden each year. I may have found a market for it!)
• Toss out the microwave
• And, of course, “The little shop downstairs has the products that you will need to purchase.” …… Okay, I’ll be honest. I saw that one coming!
Then there is the detoxification program that she “suggests” which is also going to be costly and long term. The list of products for that process went on and on and on.
To become totally committed to this natural program (which is what she stated I had to do) would break the bank (well, our bank at least). The little monkey on my shoulder keeps telling me that there are no miracle cures and although this is not what she has promised me, for the money I would end up paying out, I would expect it.
I mean seriously …. Everything in my house is the opposite of good; white rice should be brown; cooking oil should be coconut and not canola; meats should all be organic; and toss out the microwave? I know there are hazards, but the convenience ……
And I can’t even imagine wearing socks to bed; I get nauseous and cranky when my body gets too warm and my husband would get the brunt of that suggestion!! So I’d end up divorced with no money to pay for any of this natural regime.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not knocking what she told me and I will incorporate what I can into my lifestyle. But it will have to happen gradually. And even if I live to be 100, there are some things that I simply cannot – or will not - do. Every step I take towards that goal is an improvement from yesterday. In the meantime, I will start making changes right away; things that my instinct tells me are right. Even if I don’t follow through on everything she has suggested, what I can and will do is important.
I have reviewed a lot of health and diet plans over the years and they pretty much all come down to the same thing. Eat right. Get lots of fresh air, exercise, and rest. There are conflicting viewpoints on everything – butter or margarine; sun or no sun; walk or run. It all boils down to what sells and every season we seem to get a new warning about something … normally rescinded in a few years time! But it is all too overwhelming if you really stop and think about it. Life is short enough without having to worry about every little thing you eat, breathe, feel; and even what you see can be damaging to your emotional wellbeing!
I want to live a long life; but I also want to enjoy the life I live.
There is one thing this naturopathic expert told me that reinforced what I am already doing. She advised me to “take control”. Over the past six months I have researched and discovered an extensive array of programs for improving the health of my mind, body, and soul and have been gradually incorporating the common themes that I have found. I believe that if more than one trustworthy source recommends something, then there must be some relevant value in it. But a word of caution here that is best explained by an old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Gotta run. I’m doing an Internet search for statistics on the life expectancy of organic farmers!
Until next time …..
~ B-Optimistic ~
I found the video on the use of coconut oil for frying quite interesting so I checked out the home page and found additional healthy cooking videos and an extensive list of health information links.
Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of the linked websites but just love to share interesting sites when I find them. When you are reading any of the information online, always remember: You are in control!
A man goes to his doctor because he is not well. After examining the man, the doctor sends him out of the examining room and asks his wife to come in so that he can speak to her alone. He explains that her husband will live, but only if she has sex with him every day for the rest of his life. On the way home, the husband asks his wife what the doctor said. She looked him directly in the eye and said, “You’re going to die.”
This joke came into my head after leaving my first naturopathic consultation yesterday. That should tell you how that appointment went.
Actually, it wasn’t that bad now that I have had a good night’s sleep and given the session time to sink in. But I am going to be honest. After 3 hours of being told that everything I was doing, eating, and thinking was detrimental to my wellbeing, my eyes started to glaze over and my “inner being” started looking for the nearest escape route …. I think you can probably see why that joke reappeared from my memory archives.
In a nutshell, here is a “short” list of what she said:
• Only eat organic meats
• Fruits and vegetables should be organic and in-season – stay away from fruit juices
• Use salt-free butter (not margarine) and drink milk only if it comes directly from the cow (a.k.a. raw)
• Cancer likes cold (I’d never heard this one before) so drink only tepid or hot water with lemon or lime juice
• Take warm or hot baths daily with either Epson salts or sea salt respectively
• Stay warm all the time; wear warm clothing and socks to bed so the feet never get cold
• Get fresh air and exercise daily
• Exchange the sugar in my diet with organic honey or maple syrup
• Eat like a King at breakfast, a Nobleman at lunch, and a pauper at dinner time
• No protein with dinner
• Drink horsetail tea (This weed grows out of control in my garden each year. I may have found a market for it!)
• Toss out the microwave
• And, of course, “The little shop downstairs has the products that you will need to purchase.” …… Okay, I’ll be honest. I saw that one coming!
Then there is the detoxification program that she “suggests” which is also going to be costly and long term. The list of products for that process went on and on and on.
To become totally committed to this natural program (which is what she stated I had to do) would break the bank (well, our bank at least). The little monkey on my shoulder keeps telling me that there are no miracle cures and although this is not what she has promised me, for the money I would end up paying out, I would expect it.
I mean seriously …. Everything in my house is the opposite of good; white rice should be brown; cooking oil should be coconut and not canola; meats should all be organic; and toss out the microwave? I know there are hazards, but the convenience ……
And I can’t even imagine wearing socks to bed; I get nauseous and cranky when my body gets too warm and my husband would get the brunt of that suggestion!! So I’d end up divorced with no money to pay for any of this natural regime.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not knocking what she told me and I will incorporate what I can into my lifestyle. But it will have to happen gradually. And even if I live to be 100, there are some things that I simply cannot – or will not - do. Every step I take towards that goal is an improvement from yesterday. In the meantime, I will start making changes right away; things that my instinct tells me are right. Even if I don’t follow through on everything she has suggested, what I can and will do is important.
I have reviewed a lot of health and diet plans over the years and they pretty much all come down to the same thing. Eat right. Get lots of fresh air, exercise, and rest. There are conflicting viewpoints on everything – butter or margarine; sun or no sun; walk or run. It all boils down to what sells and every season we seem to get a new warning about something … normally rescinded in a few years time! But it is all too overwhelming if you really stop and think about it. Life is short enough without having to worry about every little thing you eat, breathe, feel; and even what you see can be damaging to your emotional wellbeing!
I want to live a long life; but I also want to enjoy the life I live.
There is one thing this naturopathic expert told me that reinforced what I am already doing. She advised me to “take control”. Over the past six months I have researched and discovered an extensive array of programs for improving the health of my mind, body, and soul and have been gradually incorporating the common themes that I have found. I believe that if more than one trustworthy source recommends something, then there must be some relevant value in it. But a word of caution here that is best explained by an old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Gotta run. I’m doing an Internet search for statistics on the life expectancy of organic farmers!
Until next time …..
~ B-Optimistic ~
I found the video on the use of coconut oil for frying quite interesting so I checked out the home page and found additional healthy cooking videos and an extensive list of health information links.
Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of the linked websites but just love to share interesting sites when I find them. When you are reading any of the information online, always remember: You are in control!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Cast a Vote for Meaghan's Blog
I am following a Blog entitled I Kicked Cancer's Ass and it has been nominated for an award on DivineCaroline.com.. Meaghan's goal is to raise awareness of cervical cancer. Let's help her out.
You can cast your vote here.
Be forewarned ..... You will have to register on the Divine Caroline site but there is an unending supply of great things to check out like recipes, home improvements, and other great stuff!
You can cast your vote here.
Be forewarned ..... You will have to register on the Divine Caroline site but there is an unending supply of great things to check out like recipes, home improvements, and other great stuff!
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