The Starfish Story

I came across this short story the other day in the Melbourne newspaper the MX. It's an inspiring tale which will hopefully remind you that even the tiniest action can make a huge difference to one person.

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked, he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. The boy replied, "I'm saving these starfish. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.".

The old man chuckled. "There are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?"

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, "It made a difference to that one." 

Courtesy of The Starfish Project