The Boy and the Starfish

I remember hearing this story when I was younger and wanted to share it with everyone.

The Boy and the Starfish

A man was walking along a deserted beach at sunset.  As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, as he drew nearer he noticed that the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water.  Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean.

As the man approached even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time he was throwing them back into the water.

The man asked the boy what he was doing, the boy replied, "I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they will die through lack of oxygen.  "But", said the man, "You can't possibly save them all, there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can't possibly make a difference."  The boy smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "I made a huge difference to that one!"

 ~Author Unknown~

     I found this short story to be very endearing and inspiring.  I think it is sometimes hard to see how the little things we do every day can really make an impact on the environment and others.  Sometimes we need a simple quote or motivating story to remind us that every little bit we do can help others.  My favorite part about this story is how the little boy refuses to listen to the older man who basically tells him that his actions are useless.  The boy has faith and believes so strongly in what he is doing that he just keeps smiling and throwing the starfish back into the ocean.  I hope this story brightened your day, as it did mine!

Reference

Russell, C. (2004, February 3). The Boy and the Starfish. Retrieved May 24, 

       2011, from Dream Emporium: http://dreamemporium.com/starfish.html