Paraphrased From: The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
Submitted by: Cristy Smith
Once upon
a time there was a wise man that used to go
to the ocean
to do his writing.
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 another starfish and threw
it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said,
"It made
a difference for that one."
There is something
very special in each and every one of us and
we must each
find our own starfish.
We have all
been gifted with the ability to make a difference and if we throw our stars
wisely and well -- the world will be blessed!
Please pass
this story along to family and friends that
make a difference
in your life!
"Whoever saves a single life is as if one saves the entire world." --TALMUD