Made a Difference for That One!

I don’t want to miss capturing and relating this great anecdotal illustration of what it means to take action!

An older gentleman was walking along a beach at low tide and noticed a young boy bending over and picking up a starfish that had been stranded when the tide went out. The boy stood up and threw the starfish as far as he could out into the water, thus giving it a great chance for survival. The gentleman looked around and saw a huge number of starfish on the beach that stretched for miles. He said to the little boy, who was bending to pick up another starfish, “What are you doing? There are so many starfish, you can’t make a difference along this beach.” The little boy looked at the gentleman, turned and threw the starfish with all his might into the water, turned back and said, “Made a difference for that one.”

It is not the big things that we plan to do and get others to support that make the huge difference, although that is important. It is actually acting whenever you see the opportunity presenting itself. Acting in congruence with your world view and life’s mission always brings peace and feelings of contribution. Don’t forget to act locally.

I heard yesterday that Senator Edward Kennedy has been going to a school every week for years, out of the limelight and with no press awareness, to read to a child for an hour or so. He found time to do this “little thing” while still always acting hugely on the world stage. It was not for “credit” but rather it was done because he recognised it as a worthwhile thing to do to help at a very local level.

Make a difference when you can, no mater how large the whole task seems. Every little bit helps!