The Mayonnaise Jar

A very good friend sent this to me:

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 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.
So 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-your God, family, your children,your health, your friends, and your 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, 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.Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

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."

Hope you are smiling at this moment!

Reflection

I don't know about the guys but there is something with us, women, that no matter what we are not happy with the way we look. Take me for example, I was as unhappy with me as I was 30 pounds lighter 3 years ago. They say you are what you think. I think it is very true. I felt this way and now I am it. Well, I am working on my mind this time. I am trying t learn how to accept my self as I am so that I can start improving. I tell you, it is not easy but I think it is the correct way. I will ask for help if I need it.

My limitations, My ambitions

Well, I am sure it happens to everyone but people might have different approaches to the problem. It is that sometimes I feel that I am trapped in my limitations(just started raining btw). I have this great ideas of who I want to be and how I want to live but then I see that I am not, at the moment, the kind of person who lives like that. And sometimes I have to change so many things that I wander if I have to give up and redefine my wishes or stick with them and go through(It is a storm!)the torture of not liking who I am and the way I am on. I guess the problem is that I don't evaluate myself correctly. I underestimate my self, get scared with my limitations and then act passively instead of actively. I also have this tendency to exaggerate my problems and then get overwhelmed by the magnitude. I really get scared and then instead of doing something about it I punish myself with not acting and getting scared even more! I am not joking...No I am not crazy...I just get scared with my limitations or most of the time with the shadow of my limits and then react passively. I try to hide instead of solving it...The distance between who I see my self and who I want to see my self is sometimes really Devastating.

Correction

Well, I just realized that for men, the punishment of homosexuals is death at the first time. The punishment of 100 lashes for 3 times is only for women. Men are sentenced to death if four just and wise men testify that they have had intercourse. Shameful!

...I now pronounce you married

I found this a very touching video about gay marriages now legal in Massachusetts. I actually consider this very important not only for the ones living in the United States but also as another step towards equality for all the minorities residing else where. In my country, Iran, homosexuality is prohibited by constitution. Either two men or two women that are proved to have sex with each other will be sentenced to 100 lashes for the first 3 times and if they are caught 3 times and each time have received this punishment they will be sentenced to death. In the society, homosexuality is considered immoral and wrong. There is a lot to do. But recently, with the help of internet, people have started websites and are trying to inform other people about the facts of homosexuality and about the rights they could potentially have in the society. Homosexuality is specifically condemned in Quran. This is the main reason that it is almost impossible to talk about their rights under the Islamic laws of Iran. It is interesting to me that even trans-gender people have more rights. They are not sentenced to death. And nothing is said about them in Quran.(Maybe they didn't have the surgery back then!).

Well, I have read some about this subject and I have talked to some people about the subject. I know that considering homosexuality wrong has little to do with education level. It is more of the culture and the fact that we are not exposed to homosexuals as normal people. I think Iran has a long way to go but I think every time sexual minorities in other places make progress in their way it would mean a lot to those in my country trying to find their way of life. I wish them luck.

Well...

Now I am awake and sober...I still mean what I said about David but previous post sounds kind of funny. This is what happens if you are drunk and then surf internet until 4AM and then decide to put a serious post. Next time will go directly to bed. Sorry that you had to bear with me!

David!

This is a post in honor of David, our loyal, encouraging and knowledgeable reader. Dear David has commented on our web logs from almost the very first day . His comments are usually long and interesting that I think each could be a post for a web log. It is not only Koozeh and I who think this way...he has been quoted in other web logs from the comments he put in my Persian web log. So, I would like to thank him for being so encouraging and thoughtful. Thanx!:)

Hmm...manifestation of the night with flavor of your choice!

Well, I am pleasantly drunk after a long Island ice tea and something called screwdriver. Funny name for a drink. If you are planning to ask me on a date then good for you. I get drunk with two beers. Very affordable! But I am a devoted blogger right? So let me update you with my life despite the buzz (not that so many people actually read this!) I am single and hassle free. It is actually good to be back in the market; P specially knowing that there is absolutely NO PLAN starting a new relationship in the near future...what a relief... I think I would freak out tomorrow reading this post...

Who am I?

I am 25, well, almost 26. I was born in 1978, 5 months before the revolution, in Iran. Now, I am at Cornell getting a PhD in Civil Engineering. Nope! I am neither a super smart person nor a very industrious one. But I do appreciate the chances that life puts on my way and coming to the United States was certainly one of them.

My hobbies? Well, I like thinking...doesn't make sense? Ok, I like observing. I like observing the world around me and I like to discover new things about why people do what they do. I also like reading and learning about Islam. No! I am not a good Muslim. I don't even consider my self a Muslim but I was brought up in a country with an Islamic regime. For the first 10 years of my life, I was totally brain washed. For the second decade I tried to justify. Then I was angry. Now that I am out of there I have started reading about it to understand what it actually was. I will tell you once I realize it myself. My latest hobby is this web log thing. I just finished my exams. The plan is to learn A LOT about web designing by the end of summer. I also like politics. I try to find time to read news and get to know what is going on around me and I do enjoy talking about it. The other subject of interest is human sexuality. I think it is amazing. Oh and I like to have a brain for business. Have to work on that too. I enjoy watching Disney channel.

One last thing...I am a woman.

Manifestation

In dictionary we read:
man·i·fes·ta·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mn-f-stshn)
n.

1. One of the forms in which someone or something, such as a person, a divine being, or an idea, is revealed.
2. The materialized form of a spirit.

and this is exactly what this weblog and my persian weblog is for me.