The Starfish Story: Meaning and Symbolic Jewelry

You may have heard this one, but I find that it doesn't hurt to be reminded of it every once in a while.  First let me tell you the story, and then we can talk about it. 

Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, ”Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

Adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

 

Perseverance against great odds and against the criticism of others is the very hallmark of value-based idealism, as is refusing to accept failure. The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today – right now – is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand. Perhaps most inspiring of all is to witness the idealistic power of children and young people in action. The idealism of youth is a powerful force for leading change in the world. Often it is our youth who put into action values that we have instilled in them – but have failed to act on ourselves. The world, therefore, depends on the idealism of youth to lead the way.

When I first read this story it touched me greatly. It is simple but has such meaning to it. It reminded somewhat of "The Life of Pi" and so I decided to incorporate the story into a blog post about "Starfish Jewelry".

When I was a little girl and was excited or passionate about something I would celebrate by drawing a picture, collecting all the things that had to do with it, buying items that had something to do with it and so on. Throughout the years and deep within the sadness and struggle I lost a lot of those feelings and brushed them away by saying "what's the point"? This story made me realize there is a point. If I like something and it means something to me then it's mine to cherish even if it's just for a short amount of time. Star fish are so unique, maybe that is why I find them so attractive. If I take my likeness of it and there is a deeper meaning to it and maybe even a lesson or great story or memory behind it and wear something with a starfish on it, perhaps a "starfish ring" then I am not only wearing something that is attractive but when I look at it there is a meaning and a story to tell. 

It seems like something like is common sense, and maybe it is but a lot of people these days get lost. Lost in their career, school,  family, or struggle with addiction or mental illness. Take some time in your life to remember the things you love and why you love them. Look at old pictures, maybe the spouse you have been fighting with for so long, who you stopped admiring, can be re-evaluated by remembering the love and what brought the 2 of you together. 

Wearing a piece of jewelry, like a starfish ring can be your private promise you make to yourself. Maybe you spend your days in a hostile work environment, and instead of picking up chocolate or candies or harboring negative feelings inside you can look down at your ring and remember your promise and acknowledge that other people's bad attitudes and negative demeanor is not at all about you and maybe they just need a starfish ring.

OR maybe you just love starfishes and can't get enough of them because they look like a star but not quite entirely and since you're like a shining star you needed a starfish ring because you're FABULOUS!