A well-known author and poet was working and vacationing on the southern coast of Spain.   One morning very early, he was walking along the beach;  the sun was just rising.  While enjoying the beauty about him, he glanced down the beach and saw a lone figure dancing about.

Fascinated by this other person celebrating the day that was about to dawn,  he moved closer.    As he came nearer,  he realized that the young man was not dancing, but in one graceful movement was picking objects up from the beach and was tossing them out into the sea.    As he approached the young man,  he saw that the objects were starfish.

"Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water?"

"If the starfish are still on the beach when the tide goes out and the sun rises higher in the sky,  they will die,"  replied the young man as he continued tossing them out to the sea.

"That's ridiculous!   There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish.  You can't believe that what you are doing could possible make a difference!"

The young man picked up another starfish,  paused thoughtfully and remarked as he tossed it out into the waves,   "It makes a difference to this one."

Many of us are familiar with some version of the "Starfish Story". The story, originally from the book "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eisley, appeared in an article in Reader's Digest back in 1991 and later was included in the first addition of Chicken Soup for the Soul in 1993. One adaptation of the story is recounted above.