For the next five Fridays, I will be sharing stories with a philosophical twist. I think of them as mini-beach reads with meaning. Some of the stories you may have heard, others may be new, or a new version.

Each story I share, made me stop and think, and left me feeling renewed, like a relaxing day at the beach or the scent of fresh-cut grass.

Hope you enjoy them, too.

Once upon a time, there was a man who loved walking on the beach in the morning. 

One day, as he was walking, he looked down the shoreline and saw a figure moving like a dancer.  He walked faster to catch a better glimpse of the person.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young woman and she was not dancing after all. She was reaching down to the sand, picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean.

As he approached, he called out “Good morning. What are you doing?”

The young woman paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“Why? ” the man asked.

The young woman replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the man commented, “But, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young woman bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean. As it sank into the ocean, she said: “It made a difference for that one.”

The man, stood for a moment, then bent down, picked up a starfish, and helped make a difference, too.

Small gestures can lead to life altering changes.

Try one soon.