called out, “what are you doing? Can’t you see you ain’t gonna make any difference? The beach is
covered with thousands of dead and dying creatures.” And they laughed some more.
The girl seemed to ignore them at first. She picked up a lifeless-looking young octopus, nursed it
carefully in her hands, and walked back into the ocean as if the boys didn’t exist. She lowered the oc-
topus into the water, tenderly washing away the sand and seaweed that had collected over it and en-
tangled its tentacles. Slowly dropping her hands a little lower, she let the little creature feel the refresh-
ing caress of the sea. It spread its tentacles as if feeling good to be back home once again. Supportively,
the girl’s hands cupped the young animal until it mustered the strength to propel itself forward. She
stood watching, a faint smile on her face at the pleasure of seeing another creature safely on its way.
Only then did she turn and retrace her steps to the shore. Finally, she seemed to notice the jeer-
ing boys. Looking them in the eye, she said, “It sure made a difference for that one!”
STORY 29
CHANGING PATTERNS OF BEHAVIORTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Fear
■ Need to build new behaviors
■ Need to build trustResources Developed
■ Willingness to learn
■ Patience
■ Taking things step-by-step
■ Putting yourself in another’s place
■ Using reason and knowledge
■ Looking for solutions
■ Managing emotionsOutcomes Offered
■ Knowing that patience can lead to success
■ The joy of succeeding
■ Helping another change
For as long as Chad could remember, ever since he was a little boy, magpies had landed on the
railing of the balcony of his house. Maybe it was because his mom and dad often put out scraps of
their leftover food for the magpies to eat.
When Chad was really little, he’d been frightened of the magpies... and the magpies were
frightened of him. When the birds came near, he got scared they might peck him and so pulled away
quickly. When he moved quickly, the magpies moved quickly, too. Both were frightened and so both
kept away from each other.
CHANGING BEHAVIORChanging Patterns of Behavior 97