In which I post a story for Aurora, who does good things sometimes

I'm still working to assemble a packet of stories to give away

during the holidays this year, but a comment on Facebook 

this morning prompts to post this one now.

The "Starfish Story" is frequently told in inspirational meetings and business conference settings, and I fear that most people have forgotten that it's a literary story and was actually authored (and copyrighted) by Loren Eisley.

Having said that, it's a story.  And it's a story that needs to be told.  So I'm gonna tell it.  If you need more stories, I'll be posting a bunch in a week or two, or you can check the Haiku Farm archives via the link above to find a bunch to keep you busy.

But for today, here's this one, in honor of Aurora over at Redheaded Endurance.


The Starfish Story, adapted from the original without permission

The seashore is a quiet and lonely place in the morning, and there were only two people walking that beach that day.

One was a older woman, enjoying the peace as she meandered down the strand enjoying the sound of the receding waves.

The other was an young woman, who stooped down every few paces to pick up a starfish from the beach, and fling the creature far out into the water.

When they were nearly side by side, the older woman's curiosity overcame her and she spoke.

"What is it you're doing, throwing starfish from the beach?"

The other woman explained.  "The tide will be very low and the sun very hot today, and the starfish up on the beach now will become dry and distressed.  I'm throwing them back so they won't die."

The older woman laughed at this.  "But...the beach goes on for miles, and there must be thousands of starfish!  How could one person throwing one back at a time make a difference?"

The younger woman smiled in return as she picked up another starfish and threw it into the water before she replied.

"It makes a big difference to that one."