Milestones

I was recently honored to be asked to work on a custom gift project for a very special and important man. He built a successful international company and retired a couple of years ago. I designed the printed collateral – invitations and party signage for his retirement event held at the High Museum in Atlanta.

This recent project was a company-wide acknowledgement of this man’s battle against cancer. An outpouring of affection for a well-loved mentor gave root to an idea that a dear friend and colleague entrusted me to execute.

The employees answered questions in the form of a survey. They were asked about the milestones in their lives that were reached during their employ, and under the tutelage of the beloved company’s founder. How many children were born, first homes purchased, etc. The results were tabulated and the totals engraved into river stones. The stones were placed in a jar engraved with the “milestones” logo, created especially for this one-of-a-kind gift. All of the employees signed pages to be included in a book. Over a dozen pages were filled.
The fabled story below expresses the significance of the ‘stones in the jar’ parable.

A philosophy professor brought an empty jar into class. He filled it with rocks about 3 inches in diameter and asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
Then the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. The pebbles rolled into the the open spaces between the rocks. He asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
Without a word he picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up the remaining spaces.
“This is your life,” the professor told the class.
“The rocks are the important things – the things that give your life its meaning; your family and friends, respect for self and others, responsibility and integrity.
“The pebbles are the other things that make life enjoyable, and the sand is everything else – the small things that happen each day.”
“If you put the the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles.
The same is true of life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room to develop the characteristics that make up the rocks your life will be built on. Take care of the rocks first. The sand will fill in the cracks and crevices, making life worthwhile.”

The gift was recently delivered, and I am told, received very well by all involved, and most importantly, the recipient.

It’s projects like this that remind me of why I am drawn to my profession; to express in tangible objects the human emotion, elevated.

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