There is a story that I have read, shared, and reflected on numerous times over the years. It has shifted and changed in its telling, yet I always find it inspiring. Here is one of the many versions:
A man was sitting on a rock looking out over the ocean one morning when he saw a young woman wandering along the beach. He watched as she bent down, picked something up, brought it to her face with both hands, then threw it into the water. She repeated this action over and over. As she gradually drew closer to where he was sitting, he realized that she was picking up starfish that had washed ashore with the tide and were stranded on the sand.
When she was close enough, he called out to her, “You’re wasting your time. There must be hundreds of starfish on the beach, you can’t possibly make much of a difference.” The woman picked up another starfish, gave it a little kiss, wished it a safe journey home, and as she tossed it back into the waves, she looked at the man and said, “I can make a difference to this one.”
~ Adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977), published in 1969 in The Unexpected Universe.
I love this story because it reminds me that the tiniest gesture can have an impact and make a meaningful difference in our lives and the world around us.
It can be easy, especially in our wired, online world of social media, to get caught up in negativity, judgment, and criticism. It can be easy to allow ourselves to negate the comments of others and voice our opinions simply because we disagree with what someone else has shared. It can be easy to comment that they could have or should have done more or done something differently.
If we are the person who originated a post, it can be easy to allow ourselves to be swayed (or peer pressured) by the opinion of others even if what we have posted was a personal choice or decision that we believe in and chose to share. It can be easy to get drawn into an argument and feel the need to justify our actions and choices simply because they’re not what someone else would do. Odd, isn’t it? For the most part, these are strangers we are interacting with.
I feel blessed that I started my yoga and food as medicine journey at a time when Google and online social media didn’t exist. I found it challenging enough to implement the changes I had made within myself, let alone promote them within my community of family and friends. I struggled to let go of old habits and patterns as I implemented personal change. I faced a lot of pushback from the people around me. It was all too weird for them to fathom. Doing yoga was one thing, meditation was odd, but giving up meat was just too far out there. They tried to talk sense into me, ignoring the fact that I was not doing well before starting on this path. I wonder if it was their fear of the unknown, perhaps a fear that I was going to be hurt somehow, or maybe it felt like I was somehow challenging their beliefs and actions, or maybe they thought they would lose me. I don’t know really. What I do know, is that I was feeling healthier and stronger on all levels. You could not help but notice my excitement with the positive impact these changes were making on my body, mind, and emotional well-being.
When I began this journey back in the 1990’s yoga, meditation, and plant-based eating were just for “Hippies”, and it was common belief that it was just a phase that wouldn’t last long. If we had had social media back then, I imagine my business and optimism would have been crushed by the naysayers before I even got started!
Now that social media is an integral part of our lives, I am wiser and a lot less sensitive to the opinions of others. I love to engage in meaningful discussions and refuse to be pressured or bullied for sharing what I do and how I live. The Starfish Story has helped me immensely with this, which is why I return to it often. It has allowed me to understand that I cannot be responsible for, save, or change the entire world, but I can definitely take full responsibility for myself and how I show up in the world. Through changing my habits, thoughts, words, and actions, I have developed a determined and compassionate desire to make a positive impact as best I can in this beautiful, but often angry and confused, world.
Ghandi reminds us to “be the change you wish to see in the world”, one conscious choice at a time.
Create a fabulous day & Smile at strangers!
Wendy xo
