The following is a story by Loren Eiseley:

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

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

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man 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 wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”

The above is a charming story which holds different levels of meaning for each person who takes time to read it.  It encourages a person to act even if the small action may seem useless in comparison to the whole scheme of life.

The power in the story comes to the person who realizes life is made up of many of the same small actions.  Little things done or not done may seem not to matter as a whole.  However, each action can be chosen to be beneficial or wasted.  Investing in each minute, or second, of the day will make a difference for ‘that one.’

A life spent with many small wasteful actions is a life which ends up being wasteful.  A life spent with many small beneficial actions is a life which adds up to be valuable.  Choosing how to invest a moment matters not only for ‘that one’ but for others as well and a life is made up of each one.

Enjoy and invest well always,