The Starfish An allegorical tale demonstrating the value of helping others — pets INCLUDED Once upon a time, there was an old fisherman who lived in a cottage near the sea. Every morning, the old man arose from his sleep, dressed, and went down to the seashore for a walk. Every morning, the shore was littered with starfish who had washed ashore during the night. Every morning, the old man picked up starfish who were struggling on the shore and tossed them back into the sea. This act of kindness prevented the starfish from dying in the heat of the sun later in the morning. One morning, after a particularly heavy storm, the shore was thick with struggling starfish. The old man was actively engaged in tossing them back into the sea, when a bright young man approached him and asked him what he was doing. "I'm rescuing starfish who are stranded on the shore, so they won't die baking in the sun," the old man replied. The young man looked at him with astonishment. "Look at the shore! It's covered with starfish! There's no way you can save them all! You're just wasting your time! What you're doing just doesn't matter in the big picture," the young man said. The old man shrugged, picked up another starfish, and tossed it into the sea. "It mattered to that one," he replied. Sometimes Rescue Workers seem overwhelmed. The magnitude of animals that are in shelters, along with the nursing of the animals back to health, sometimes makes our task seem hopeless. Some days, we are tempted to adopt the young man's despair -- we think that what we are doing isn't working -- that it just doesn't matter. We need to remember the old man's approach. Look for our successes, and rejoice in them. Remember the ones that we do help, and try not to despair about the ones that we had to let go due to circumstances beyond our control.
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