5 Balls

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that the work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will always bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends and integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you trully understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life." (The Story of the Five Balls, "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson.