A young man happened upon an old man as he was walking along the shore. The old man was surrounded by thousands of starfish who were washed on the shore because of a storm, and he was throwing them back to the sea one at a time.
The young man laughed at the old man and said, "There are too many, you can't save them all and you are wasting your time. What difference can you possibly make?" The old man tossed a starfish back to the safety of the ocean and smiled at the young man as he bent over to get another starfish.
The old man said,"You may be right, but I am making a difference to this one," and he tossed another starfish to the warmth and safety of the sea.
This is what I do every day. Try to toss a couple of starfish back into the sea.
After a day like this, I have to remind myself that I AM making a difference, and that it IS worth it. Today it felt like the tide was just a little too strong.
3 comments:
Teachers and parents make more a difference than I think most of them realize. You are making a difference everyday. Thank you for what you do for others.
That's a great story and very true. You may not be able to save or help everyone, but you can make a difference for the ones you take the time with.
Thanks for sharing that!
I liken the starfish to one of my favorite analogies. "It's like throwing Cool Whip into a strong fan. None of it is going to stick and I end up looking pretty foolish afterwards." But, with my sometimes childish enthusiasm, I then like to think back to being a kid and how much fun it would be to be covered in Cool Whip and lick it off. (No sexual connotations here.) Sometimes failure to accomplish the task can be made sweeter with a fresh outlook.
Hope more of your starfish survive this week.
Post a Comment