Loggerhead Shrike : What’s Your Number?
Loggerhead Shrike
This is a Loggerhead Shrike. These are fascinating birds, which I’ve long admired. See the breakfast he’s caught? Shrikes impale their catches on thorn bushes or even barbed wire to save for the future. I wanted to see that, and I followed this bird all around the park. He led me quite the merry chase. Early on, he’d flit just a short distance away, still out of range, but close enough that I was enticed to pursue him. Dozens of photos later, he’d make the next leap. Just a little further. And still I chased him. I was determined to get just “the” shot, to have just “the” encounter. So I kept chasing. Ultimately I was able to position myself well, approaching from behind another bush, using cover to get close - and I received this photo. It’s enough.
The Bible tells the story of how the Israelites all contributed to the building of the Tabernacle. Some gave precious metals, others jewels, and some lent their talents at spinning and weaving. And they all gave and gave. In fact, they gave so much that all the artisans came to Moses and told him they had more materials than they needed. So Moses ordered that no further offerings were to be brought. Why did the people give so much, contributing morning after morning? These were freewill offerings, not taxes. And Moses. Why did Moses cap their gifts rather than simply stashing the extra against future needs? A clue: the Hebrew word for “artisans” also is used for Sages. There was deep wisdom in the artisans’ “enough!”
“What’s your number?” We are asking - at a surface level - how much money someone wants to have in-hand before winding down their accumulation stage in life. What valuation do you need to sell your company? How big a retirement account do you need before you stop working? The question’s premise is that there is some number - perhaps a very large one - that represents “enough.” It’s difficult to answer for practical reasons, yes, but more so because it forces us to ask ourselves what we actually want from life - and whether money can supply it. Chasing, whether money or Shrikes, can become its own goal. Can we instead, like the Sagely artisans, recognize that wealth and money aren’t always the same thing? What’s enough?