The Star Thrower

This story has been brought to my attention several times in the last couple of days, and it is one that really hits me close to home... I hope you enjoy it as much as I have:

The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

The word of TXT

I was getting ready to delete my text messages, and as I usually do, I read through them. Really, in context they're pretty funny... out of context, even funnier.

So, I give you a new 'module'.... random things from my phone OR "out of conTXT."
(in the right-hand column)

Either it will be funny, or stupid, or both. Either way, I'll leave it for a while... at least until I get bored.

Enjoy!

PS. Tomorrow is Shoe Porn Friday! Hooray!!

Independence

I am learning about independence.

It is difficult.
It is confusing.
It is liberating.
It is amazing.

And yet, I'm finding that 'being on my own' means depending on others more than I ever have in my life.

Asking for help, and asking for what I need (versus what I want, that's a different blog altogether), are not things I've ever done well. There have been times recently when I've actually had to sit down and tell myself, "You need to ask for help with this. And, you need to be ok asking for help with this."


Oddly, I feel like I've learned more about life, living, doing, and being in the last six months, than I did in the previous 30-ish years .


Yes, I spent the three to five years prior to these six to eight months examining myself and my life closely, deciding what it is I want, how I want to live, and how I need to go about getting there. But, to have finally figured it out, and have made so many changes, and to have progressed so far in only six months.... well, yeah, just... cool.

I realize I have a long way to go, but it doesn't seem quite so scary when I look at how far I've come.


Happy independence day to all of you. I depend upon so many for their ability to be loving, supportive, affectionate, hilarious, tender, creative, caring, and kind. I hope that I have been (or will be) there to return the favor should you need it.