Helplessness

In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, are you waking up in the morning after a good night's sleep and still feeling exhausted? You are not alone! Many parents, teens and young adults are suddenly finding themselves waking up and not knowing how to approach their day, as work and school have drastically changed these past couple of weeks. Like many people, you may be starting your day by watching the news and spending time on social media to learn about updates on the pandemic, both of which can lead to overwhelming feelings of helplessness. Having purpose is one of the things that drives us to get out of bed every morning, and to combat these feelings of helplessness, it is natural to want to help everyone in need, which can easily lead to exhaustion. So for all of you "helpers" out there who are feeling a bit tired, I want to share the Starfish Story with you, as a reminder that we don't have to help everyone today, but if we all do our part in the world and help just one person (checking in on a friend, a neighbor, an elderly person on your street, etc.), we can make a difference.

The Starfish Story (Original Story by: Loren Eisley) One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "Young man, what are you doing?" The boy replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die." The man laughed to himself and said, "Don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make any difference!" After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference to that one."