Big Rocks

(Originally published 2 August 2011) 

Yosemite National Park has some of the most glorious scenery on Earth, in my opinion. I always buy myself a Yosemite wall calendar, so I can enjoy its beauty throughout the year. I was rather disappointed when I turned the page for a new month and beheld a single tree standing next to a boulder. My sarcastic reaction was "Oh whoopee, a big rock!" But at my choice of phrase, I had to laugh.

Have you heard the story of Big Rocks? Supposedly a man leading a workshop on time management began with a demonstration. He had a glass cylinder into which he put several rocks, until they reached the top. He asked the class if the container were full. They agreed it was full.

He then poured several scoops of gravel into the container, where it settled around the rocks, until it reached the top. This time when he asked the class if the container was full, they were divided, and none were certain what the answer should be.

So he took a bag of sand, and poured some of that in until it reached the top. He then asked what the point of the exercise was, given the topic of the class. One eager participant suggested, "No matter how full your schedule is, you can always squeeze in a little more!"

The teacher smiled, and responded, "No, quite the opposite. If you don't put the big rocks in first, they will never fit." The question for each person is: What are the Big Rocks in your life, and are you putting them into your schedule first?

I hadn't thought of the Big Rocks story in some time, so I had to laugh and thank the Goddess for this gentle reminder. It fits in well with one of the early January exercises in the book One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds that I discovered in the library, bought, and have just begun to use. She has you set goals and think about where you want to go in your life. Only then do you look at how you spend your time and ask yourself if you are spending the time you need on the steps that will help you reach your desired destinations.

So I will be spending quite a bit of time this month reflecting on the Big Rocks I want to put in my life. I invite you to do the same. And when this year is done, I will pull out the July photo from this calendar (as I do some of my favorite images to tack up to add beauty to my home and workspace) and treasure this visual reminder of what I value most in life, and the importance of devoting time to those things I cherish.

Blessed Be, Amanda