While walking along the crystal clear waters of Mauritius, I stumbled upon this beautiful little creature: a starfish.
I was ecstatic! This little one was washed onto shore by a gentle, warm wave. I just had to pick it up. I couldn't stop smiling. My happy screams were met with odd stares and confusion. I tried again, "Look! How neat! A little starfish!" Nope...still nothing but blank looks. I WAS HOLDING A STARFISH IN MY HAND IN AN ISLAND COUNTRY ALMOST NO ONE GETS TO SEE AND MY LIFE WAS AWESOME. Why couldn't anyone else understand this? As everyone continued to walk along (mind you, I was definitely falling behind at this point, since I was staring at the starfish in my hand and enjoying the water on my toes), I was reminded of a parable I once heard: One day, during low tide, hundreds of starfish were stranded on the beach. An old man was walking along, trying carefully not to step on any of the starfish. They seemed to still be alive, but would die soon if they were not placed back into the water. However, because there were so many of them, the old man decided not to do anything and just continue on his walk. Soon after, the old man stumbled across a young child throwing starfish back into the ocean. The old man asked what he was doing. The child said, "I am saving the starfish!" The old man replied, "Why are you even bothering? There are so many of them! You can't save them all! Why does it even matter?" Without any hesitation, the child picked up another starfish. "It matters to this one," he said, as he threw it back into the ocean. I looked back down at my own starfish with a smile before throwing it back into the turquoise Mauritian water. It still amazes me how the world will find ways to give you the reminders you need at the times you need it most. This tiny starfish, which seemed so insignificant to my friends, reminded me that if I continue to look at the world with awe and wonder, I will be rewarded with true happiness and meaningful experiences (even if no one else around me feels this way.) My starfish also taught me to continue working hard to help others--even if the problem seems unbearably large and impossible to change, my effort could truly matter to one person, and that could make all the difference.
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