Counting Harlequin Ducks

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Wisdom for Life

As I drove down the endless two-lane highway, my wife suggested we listen to a podcast.  We were driving across a long stretch of high desert on our way home after vacation and there were miles of nothing on the horizon.  She had downloaded a podcast by Glacier National Park Conservancy since we had visited the national park last year.  In the podcast, I learned about the challenge of counting Harlequin ducks in Glacier National Park.

Harlequin ducks spend their time in turbulent rivers and coastal waters in the Pacific Northwest, diving for invertebrates and nesting in obscure locations.  (We witnessed their whitewater skills a few years ago while hiking in Olympic National Park.)  Not surprisingly, they are difficult to count.  The podcast mentioned how scientists developed a method to safely net Harlequins in Glacier and uniquely tag each one – which led to a more accurate count.  From this, the scientists improved their Harlequin population estimates and, as a result, are developing better conservation policies.

As I was driving and listening to the podcast, my mind drifted to working with clients as a financial advisor.  One of the first steps is for clients to gather their investment documents to get a “count” of what they have.  For some clients, this is an eye-opening experience as they move from vague recollections to documented facts about their investments. 

Scripture encourages us to understand what our resources are before we act: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).  Whether it is building a tower, developing conservation policies for Harlequin ducks, or reaching our financial goals, we need to first “count” the present to plan the future.

Perhaps the podcast intrigued me because I collect miniature painted wooden ducks.  Perhaps the podcast intrigued me because we had visited Glacier National Park.  But perhaps the podcast intrigued me because it teaches us a universal lesson: know what we have before we move forward.

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

208.697.3699

doug@christianwm.com