The POWER of One

Many of us have heard the story of the old gentleman walking down the beach, bending over every so often, picking up a starfish and tossing it back into the sea. The younger man, walking in the opposite direction noticed the old man's activity and was curious about why he was sending the starfish back to the ocean. The old man shared that tossing them back into the ocean gave them a chance to live longer.

The POWER of ONE is very evident in that old story but I wonder how many of us have ever considered that we too have the power to make a difference? It's easy to get lost in the noise of this world. It's even easier to become overwhelmed by all the negative and the darkness that seems to permeate our culture. So many people are feeling lost, alone, worn out and frankly forgotten- but we have the POWER to do something about that!! Try these actions on for size today.

• Smile at a perfect stranger
• Buy someone's coffee in line at your favorite coffee place
• Send out a few JUST THINKING of you notes
• Let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store
• Give someone a sincere compliment

Let's go back to the beach! The younger man was perplexed with the old man's action of tossing the starfish back into the ocean! "There are so many starfish on this beach, how in the world could it possibly make a difference?" The old man bent down and picked up another starfish and as he tossed it into the sea, he turned to the young man and said, "It made a difference for that one."

Why not make today the day you 'toss a few starfish' back into the ocean?

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. ~Helen Keller