My dad was a man of few words, but he always took the time to remind me of this story:
A woman is walking down the beach and sees thousands of starfish washed up on the shore. She begins picking them up one by one and throwing them back into the water. After a little while goes by, a man approaches her and asks her why she is throwing them back into the water.
He argues that there are thousands of starfish on this beach — why would she ever try to throw them back if she was not going to put a dent in the problem. He points out that she can never truly make a difference in the massive scope of all the starfish washed ashore.
In response, the woman reaches down, picks up another starfish, and throws it back in the water. She promptly replies, “I made a difference to that one.”
Often times issues in our lives might seem insurmountable or completely void of value in the effort. If we cannot fix the problem ourselves, why even try? The truth of the matter is that all attempts and actions count — while a small action might not seem large in the grand scheme of things, the small actions have the largest weight in the long run.
You never know what magic checking in on someone can do. Each person experiences their own struggles and has their own need for help and assistance. The woman and her starfish teach us that each life and action have value that cannot be wasted.
There is always hope, as nothing is stronger than a small bit of hope that never gives up. I personally find it incredible that one of the most hopeful songs ever written, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” was authored in 1939: one of the bleakest years in recent human history. One author, Yip Harburg, had fought in world war one and was recently left without money or assets following the greatest market crash in history. The second musician, Harold Arlen, fled his parents at sixteen. Both of these Orthodox Jewish men authored arguably the most hopeful songs ever written right as Adolf Hitler was triggering war and antisemitism was on the rise.
Hope is feeling that things can — and will — get better. Whether with Yip and Harold or the woman and her starfish, every action has has value and the hope for tomorrow is always worth the effort :)