Life of the Party

On my slow morning trek across the sand bar to Bar Island, I came across this fellow. I was ecstatic! This was the first live starfish I ever encountered. It was the size of my hand and rested in very shallow water as the tide continued to go out. I snapped some photos and just knelt there, admiring its beauty with wonder. I didn’t want to disturb the starfish or do anything to jeopardize its well-being. In retrospect, I should have scooped him up and walked him out ten feet in the water and lay him down there, away from prying eyes and curious fingers. What disappointed me was the mother that picked up the starfish and gave it to her three year old to run around and play with like it was a toy. “But he wants it” was the response I got when I politely tried to ask in a diplomatic manner that she help return the creature to the water. This wasn’t a pebble, it wasn’t a shell -- this was a living creature and the adult found nothing wrong with letting her child treat it like a fifty cent disposable plastic toy. Some people have no respect for nature or the world around them -- and that makes me sad.