Have you heard the story about the meditator who goes to talk with her Zen master and says, “I just can’t find the time to meditate.”

The master takes a large jar and fills it with big rocks. “Can i put any more in?” he asks.

“No,” she says.

He takes a handful of gravel and sifts it down between the rocks. “Can i put any more in?”

“No?” she says doubtfully.

He takes a handful of sand and sifts it down between the rocks and the gravel. “Can i put any more in?”

“No,” she says.

He fills the jar with water. “What’s the lesson here?” he asks.

“Well,” she sighs. “I can always fit in one more thing.”

“No,” he says. “Put the big rocks in first.”

What are your big rocks? My big rock is going on retreat. As i approach the end of the year, i’ve just scheduled my retreats for the coming year–3 in March, 1 in May, 2 in July, 1 in September, and 1 in November. Now that that’s settled, i can schedule other important things, like going on vacation with my sweetie, and staying home in April and May (mostly) to garden.

Life will fill up any remaining spaces.

What are your big rocks?