Make A Difference

I believe we all want to make a difference in this world, be seen, make it a better place. Being the cockeyed optimist that I am, I’ve always trusted the idea that every single person on this planet has an internal desire to improve this life, not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Even the meanest people we hear about, I like to think have that same desire to help.

How do we do that? There are so many in need everywhere we turn, where do we begin? If we adopt a cause like the homeless, terminally ill children, or saving animals from cruelty, doesn’t it feel like there are so many we leave out? It made me think about what exactly making a difference means.

I think the story of the starfish says it all. There was a young girl who was walking along the beach which was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore during a terrible storm. The expanse of the little creatures went on as far as the eye could see.

The little girl started picking them up one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Many watched her in amusement, realizing that she could never rescue all the fish. One man approached her and told her that it would be impossible to save all of them. “You can’t begin to make a difference,” he told her. She looked at him sadly for moment, then reached down and picked one up and tossed into the water. “Well, it made a difference to that one,” she smiled.

The man smiled broadly, then began helping her. Pretty soon others joined in, and as the story goes, they all were saved that day.

So, whenever I feel like my small efforts to be of service in this life are not enough, I remember that story. Making a difference to one at a time is all it takes. Much like paying it forward, the ripple effect will go on for a lifetime.