During a meetup with my best guy friend from Elementary School, he shared what has become my favorite go-to story for many situations I have experienced in life. Early on, I used this anecdote mostly when I was envious. If I were envious of friends or family because of their looks, the money they seemed to have, their friends, and their trips together, the success of their children, I thought of this story to make me feel better.

As time marches on and life throws all kinds of curveballs, this story resonates even more. Envy dissipates, and being grateful to have another day on this beautiful planet surrounded by people you love is what matters. With that being said, the story becomes more important.

Read this story, use it, share it, and I promise your perspective will change.

My bud, Johnny G, who has been my second brother since the day I met him when I was about 7 years old, is one of the happiest people I know. And, he is a lot like my actual brother, hence the reference. We continue to be great friends. Even though we don't see each other often, when we get together, it is as if not a single day has passed since our last meeting.

It was probably 10 to 12 years ago when we met for our coffee get-together. During our Starbucks catch-up, John and I hashed out all of our life experiences, sharing fun times, hearing about old friends, and venting about our problems.

Perspective. This is what good friends do: we provide perspective and advice to help with frustrating and uncomfortable situations in addition to life’s hard knocks. John is funny, always upbeat, he has a great laugh, is easy to talk to, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him. Exactly like my brother. I can talk and share everything with him.

The words of wisdom he bestowed on me that morning had such an impact on me that I refer to the story almost daily.

And so it goes.

John told me a story his wise and wonderful dad shared with him. His dad is one of my favorite people on the planet. His dad is one of the people in my life for whom I have the utmost respect. And, I must admit this most respected man is a Georgia Tech graduate. And, I must admit, I am the brunt of a joke as old as time when it comes to John’s Dad. I graduated from the University of Georgia, and what does a UGA grad call a Ga Tech grad? Boss. Yes, he was my boss after I graduated. Touche’.

The story goes like this. When John was a young lad, bawahahaha, he was in his teens. As a teenager, John was having a heart-to-heart with his dad, and he was complaining about something teenagers complain about. His dad listened intently and then offered the following sentiment.

He said, John, I want you to consider what I am about to tell you, every time you feel the way you do right now. Little did John (or his dad, for that matter) realize what an impact this story would have on my husband and me some 30 or 40 years later.😳

He said, John, I want you to pretend you are holding a jar. In that jar, I want you to imagine filling it with papers. On those papers, you are going to write down every single problem you have in your life. You are going to take all those papers with all of those problems and put them in that jar. Then, the next time you are with your friends, they will have their jars. Your friends will have done the same thing with their problems on their papers and put them in their jars. You will all have your jars full of problems.

Next, you will switch jars with your friends. And you will inherit their problems.

I bet you will want your jar back.

Daily, my husband and I talk about how much we love our jar.