State Mother Advisor
5
The Starfish Story
While walking along a beach, a man saw a child in the distance bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he noticed that the child was picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The child paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
The man smiled, and asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
To this, the child replied, “They’ll die if they stay out of the water.”
The man replied, “But there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The child listened, then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
This is not a new story. It regularly makes its way around facebook and the internet. It is a favorite story of mine, however. It reminds me that little things can make a difference. Smiling at a stranger. Letting someone go ahead of you in the store. Listening to others. Welcoming a prospect to a meeting. Including the new girl in the discussion. We all can make a difference in the world. This time of year we are reminded to be thankful and to give to others. It does not need to be a large gesture. It can be something simple. And it can be meaningful. You never know how much a simple act of kindness can mean to someone else.
Aloha,
Heidi Elwood
State Mother Advisor
State Mother Advisor, Heidi Elwood