It Matters To That One

I love new beginnings. This is why I love mornings, Mondays, and especially January first.

When making my New Year’s resolutions, I list everything I have ever wanted to accomplish, from cleaning out my bathroom drawer to becoming a New York Times best-selling author.  Then I read each item on my list and imagine how I will feel after it is accomplished. If it makes me feel like raising my hands in the air and shouting, “Yes!” or makes me tear up with happiness, I leave it on the list. Surprisingly, both the clean drawer and best-seller status have made the list this year.

This morning I was meditating on one of my resolutions: reach ONE MILLION people. The Universe likes specifics, so with a mental image of Mike Meyers…

As I continued to meditate, the Starfish Story popped into my mind. Quick summary…thousands of starfish have been washed ashore, and a child runs along the beach tossing them back into the ocean one at a time. Someone stops the child and asks why it matters when so many starfish will still perish. The child throws another starfish back into the sea and says, “It matters to that one.”

I thought, “But how can I save ONE MILLION starfish by myself?” Response: Open your mind.

Here’s my expansion of the starfish story…

I am throwing starfish back into the sea and a group of children on a field trip see me. Their teacher encourages them to do the same. A strolling couple joins our efforts. Someone posts a picture of all of us throwing starfish into the sea, and pretty soon people are arriving from everywhere. Within hours, every single starfish has been returned to its home. (I would bet this story expansion already exists in some form, but it is a new to me!)

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

It remains to be seen exactly how I will weave this modified story into the fabric of my life. I trust the Universe will show me the way. Power to the people, my friends!

Spend some time this week thinking about what you want to do this year. Does it make you raise your hands in triumph or weep with joy? That’s how you know it’s what you’re meant to do. We all have a purpose and we all matter.

Be inspired. Go forth. Create your day.

Find your inner sea turtle. If you like my Starfish Story expansion, you might like my version of the Frog and the Scorpion.