Many of us have heard the story of rocks, pebbles, and sand filling a jar. If not I have pasted it below. See all of us have large rocks in our lives that are extremely important to us. The problem with the culture of the times is that the less important things (pebbles) seem to consume all of our time pushing out any room for the larger rocks, the items that we will cherish at the end.
As time goes on, sometimes larger rocks get replaced with other rocks that seem to have more meaning in your life. At times the rocks still stand but you have not had any time due to the pebbles in your life. I recently have had to opportunity to reconnect with a large rock in my life, music. I have played the trumpet since I was in middle school. A very long time…..but I digress. I have always found some great peace in playing and practicing my horn. While I did give it a run for a time in my life, I moved ahead to other achievements to help provide for my family. While my time is limited, I have been able to play more over the last few months. My son has decided to start playing so it has been another activity for us to spend time together.
This has really just rejuvenated me in my daily life to sit back and take some time to do something that I really enjoy. Another thing that I can do with my kids and family, much like archery. Part of the resurrection of playing has been good. Lots have changed since I was last playing actively. The internet is so widely ingrained in everything we have that it is so much easier now to find sheet music. I have spent some time practicing old etudes that I just loved and some that were my complete nemesis. Much like the Charlier No. 2 Du Style. Love and hate this thing so much. But with the internet, easy to find recordings of and be able to listen to how other artists play. A great recording of this song can be heard here.
Just remember, there is more to life than the pebbles. Don’t fill your jar with pebbles first. You won’t have time for the rocks!
A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. He says, “Really,” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again, “Is the jar full?” They agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles and asks the question again. This time, the class is divided, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others are wary of another trick. So he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, “If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?” A bold student replies, “No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more.” “That is one view,” he replies. Then he looks out at the class making eye contact with everyone, “The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The pebbles are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time, like watching TV or running errands.” Looking out at the class again, he asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?”