Counting the Cost
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain.
Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.
They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.
But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.
Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming costs and bottom line.
No one was willing to pay more for strawberries just because they were grown on land that had 12% interest loans on it.
Like a foundation that was built and then abandoned, so was our farm. Life lessons.
I admire the Elwha Tribe and their decision to move at a rate they can afford. May their resilience as a Tribal Nation and wisdom in their fiscal planning yield the financial rewards that their patience deserves.
It’s a valuable lesson I learned the hard way. And a lesson that has guided my decisions ever since.
May the Labor Day celebrations honor the hard work of all Americans.
