The Starfish (as told by Anthony Michaud-Scorza then 8 years old to his father)

An old man was out on his early morning walk. The white beach he walked upon was littered with starfish that were washed up by the Spring tide.  He noticed a young boy scurrying up ahead in the distance.  The boy appeared to be running from one place to another haphazardly darting from the sand into the waves.  
As he was curious and because he had little else to do that day, the old man slowly approached the boy.  He did not wish to disturb the young beachcomber’s activity.  As he moved closer, he saw that there was a bit of sanity to the boy’s childhood madness. The boy was tossing, with great gusto, the stranded starfish into the sea.  Laboriously and with great intensity the boy would take one and sometimes two starfish and carefully deliver them to the oceans waiting arms.
The man asked- “Young man, what are you doing?”  “Why I’m saving starfish sir!” the boy answered, as if the question was nothing more than a waste of air.
“Well”, said the man, “there are at several thousand starfish washed up from last night’s tide.” “With all those left to die it seems such a waste of time”, he observed, “Really, my boy, on the grand scale who could this really be important to, I mean besides you?”
The boy looked back at the man, determination shining in his eyes, and replied “Yes Mister, I will not be able to save them all. For that matter not many of these creatures at all, but at this moment it is all I can do. It is important, but not so much to me, although I feel good at my work.”  “You see this one?” The boy held a single creature in his wet palm, “What I am doing is very important to her and that is why I do it”.

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