A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked students if jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into jar. He shook jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into open areas between golf balls. He then asked students again if jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into jar. Of course, sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under table and poured entire contents into jar, effectively filling empty space between sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said professor, as laughter subsided, ' I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

To be honest, my girls are not moody. In fact, our home climate is remarkably clear and sunny. That's precisely why it is so easy to watch a mood coming over horizon.

Think about it. If you're in middle of a storm, you can't even see horizon, let alone remember to look that direction in order to be aware of what's heading your way. You need clear skies for that--or at least a very high cloud cover.

Mood-watching is a fascinating mindfulness exercise, and you've got plenty of high and low pressure areas of your own to keep you busy. The trick is learning how to read ol' mood barometer.

You can do this with your own moods, but frankly, it's a lot easier to practice by watching others. In both cases, we need to learn how to recognize signs of an approaching storm.

We tend to get in way of understanding our own moods while we're in them. We're better at developing our mood-watching skills when we start with someone else's storm. So, let's do that.

By becoming a--key word here--nonjudgmental observer of moods of those you love, you can learn a great deal about yourself and your own reactions. Here are seven key mood-watching elements:

#1 Take a look at satellite map. What's coming up in next few hours or days? A test? An interview? A break-up? A big game? A project deadline? Be aware of high and low pressure zones and pay attention to any merging storm fronts that could result in gale force winds.