More Than Just Rocks

​I was reading a book recently by a magic practitioner and author named Kerr Cuhulain called Full Contact Magick. In chapter 18 of his book (I would quote the page number, but there are none, which I found a little annoying, but that is a personal problem) he recounts a story he calls “Big Rocks”. I have read this story in multiple other sources before, and you may have heard it before as well, so now I will give you the gist of it.
A professor stands in front of his class with a large glass jar. In this jar he places some large rocks and asks his students if they think the jar is full. Of course, they say yes, because he cannot fill the jar with any more large rocks. He then produces a container of gravel and proceeds to full the spaces with the smaller rocks. He then asks them again if they think the jar is full. Less students agree that it is now full. He then produces a container of sand and proceeds to pour the sand into the jar filling it up even further. By now most of the students have realized what is going on and know that the jar is not quite full. The professor then produces a jug of water and pours it into the jar filling any remaining space in the jar. Finally, he asks his students what they think the demonstration meant. In this case, it was a group of business students, and one answer was that he was demonstrating that no matter how much you think you can get done in a day, there is always room for more. Well, as you might guess, this was not the point at all. The professor explains that what he was really trying to say was that the large rocks he put in first represent the big things in life. They are the things that are most important to you. If he had not started with those rocks, in the end there would not have been room for them. His point was that we should make space for what is important to us. Whether that is our family, our religion, or job, or any other number of things you can think of (this is a highly personal question after all). If we focus on all the little worries and stresses in life we can forget the bigger picture.
If this jar were to represent your life, the big rocks would represent the bigger more important things, the gravel would represent the everyday events (good or bad), stresses, and concerns that persist or are consistent. The sand would represent the little things that happen day to day that may make us happy, or bother or inconvenience us, but are small singular events (like some guy that cuts us off or getting the last donut in the case that you love). The water represents everything else.
I think this is a good thing to remember; in life, and in our practices. Life gets busy, and we tend to stress out about a lot of stuff that probably doesn’t matter much in the long run. It mostly feels so important or overwhelming only in that moment. We also often put our own wants and needs on hold for the people in our lives that matter to us. This can lead to upset, resentment, and a feeling of being unfulfilled and unhappy with our lives. It is surprising how much better our lives can feel when we take time for self-care (something I wrote about in a post from 2024 called Find Your Joy), and remember what is actually important in the grand scheme of things. What are our goals? What are the things (big or little) that actually bring us joy? What will be important to us a year from now, 5 years, or even 10 years from now?
Perhaps now is a good time to stop, take a few deep breaths, and let go of what ever you are holding on to that does not serve you. Regardless of how much energy you have already put into something, if it does not serve you then let it go. Focus that energy into something worthwhile. Afterall, it was really only a waste of time and energy if you didn’t learn from it.
How do you feel about this story? Have you heard it before or was this the first time? Did it change your perspective any?