There was a young woman walking down a deserted beach just before dawn. In the distance, she saw a frail old woman. As she approached the old woman, she saw her picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea.

The young woman gazed in wonder as the old woman again and again threw the small starfish from the sand to the water. She asked, "Old woman, why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" The old woman explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.

"But there must be thousand of beaches and millions of starfish!" exclaimed the young woman. "How can you make any difference?"

The old woman looked down at the small starfish in her hand as she threw it to the safety of the sea, she said, "I make a difference to this one."