The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the
beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a
human figure moving like a dancer. He
smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a
young man and the young man wasn't
dancing, but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't
possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it
into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."
who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the
beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a
human figure moving like a dancer. He
smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a
young man and the young man wasn't
dancing, but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't
possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it
into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."
-annonymous
Look around you on the sandy beaches of your life .....who is your starfish? Has someone washed up on your shores needing desperately to be picked up and thrown back in to the life giving water?Don't miss the chance to make a difference!
I continue to be amazed at the beauty of Rhode Island. Like many small things, Rhode Island seems to be overlooked when making a list of beautiful places in America. One often thinks of the California coastline, Florida's white sandy beaches, the mountians of the Carolina's, Tennessee and Colorado, the lush green of the pacific northwest, or the wide open prairies in the heartland when naming places of notable beauty. Before we moved here, I rarely heard of Rhode Island at all let alone hints of her beauty. She's quiet, mysterious, unassuming, but oh my, is she beautiful!!!
I'm glad she's a secret. I feel like I'm in on something really special here and I'm blessed to have been able to experience life on this welcoming New England island even for just a short while.
We explored Fort Getty in Jamestown, Rhode Island last week while waiting for Michael's cross country meet to begin.
1 comment:
Beautiful thoughts; beautiful pictures.
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