The StarFish

It is fitting to start my blog spot with "The Starfish."  Why?  This sums up most everything to me.  I believe that we make a difference one person at a time and one moment at a time.  I am someone who wants to save the world, cure all ills and make everything okay.  I think we always need to practice acts of kindness, show love in small ways and make people smile.  I love quotes and one that I read recently stated.... "be kind to others, you never know what battle they are facing."  My favorite quote is "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."  Working in the social service field I think about this a lot.  Some of my passion is the realization that many people just need someone to listen.  They want someone to care enough to listen to their story.  With this blog I am going to offer "challenges" and ideas on how we can "make a difference."

Recently my family and I were on an island at the beach looking for seashells.  I found it interesting how many people were looking for "starfish" in the water.  I found myself feeling sad that the starfish would not have any chance of survival if they were pulled from the water.    Challenge #1 (care enough to listen to someone's story).  I ponder the Starfish.  The ones that are washed to shore and the ones that are given a fresh start because they were thrown back in the ocean.  By listening to someone's story, we may be giving them a fresh start.

If you have never heard of "The Starfish Theory" or "The Legend of the Starfish" check this out......

The Legend of the Starfish
A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy.
Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned.
The boy walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.
The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son.
You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time.
Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one”.

-Author Unknown