One day, there was a donkey pottering along a beach. There had just been a storm, and starfish had been scattered along the sands. The donkey knew the starfish would die, so she began to fling the starfish to the sea. But every time she threw a starfish, another would wash ashore.

An old Earth man happened along and saw what the donkey was doing.

He called out, “Donkey, what are you doing?”

“Saving the starfish!” replied the donkey. 

“But your attempts are useless, donkey! Every time you save one, another one returns! You can’t save them all, so why bother trying? What difference does it make?” called the old man.

The donkey thought about this for a while, a starfish in her little hoof; she answered, “Well, it makes a difference to this one.” And then she flung the starfish into the welcoming sea.

― Loren Eiseley, The Star Thrower (with some mini adjustments by Dizzy 🙂 )

26 Replies to “One day, there was a donkey pottering along the beach…”

  1. Yes, everyone of us, Donkeys and humans alike, can make a difference – especially when focused on the one thing that is within our reach to do and do it!
    peace

    1. I completely agree with you. Sometimes it can feel as though we can only do so much, but if everyone did a little, it would be so amazing. 🙂 And the little bit we can do, does make such a difference to those animals. 🙂 xxx

  2. A beautiful donkey-esque tale. It makes a difference, even when it feels hopeless. Each little starfish counts and each effort is important. Very sweet 🙂
    xx

  3. I absolutely LOVE this story! My father told it to me when I was a kid and I remember him saying “I made a difference for that one.” such a profound impact that story had on my life. Thank you for sharing it and thank you for the beautiful memory!

    1. Me too. I remember the first time I read it, it had such a huge impact on me. And just reminds you that even the smallest acts of kindness make the world of difference. xxx

Let us know your thoughts, they always make for a very happy Dizzy :)