My wife and I love the wildlife that is so abundant in the Golden Isles. In particular, we enjoy taking after-dark walks on Jeykll Island beaches in search of nesting turtles. And later in the year hoping for a glimpse of hatchlings!
We had quite the experience last year on our we went for our first “turtle walk” of the nesting season. After an hour of no turtles, we headed back to our car. Meanwhile, the clouds rolled in and obscured the moon, so I was having difficulty locating the access stairs. But my red-light flashlight kept reflecting something red in the dunes. I said, “They must have put a reflector on the beach access guide rail, what a great idea!”
However, as we approached the red reflection, my wife exclaimed, “Tom, that’s an alligator!” I was skeptical and took a couple more steps before realizing my light was reflecting his eyes! Upon identifying the size of this creature making its way out of the dunes, I immediately skedaddled after my much more sensible wife. We safely made it to the correct beach access, thankfully alligator-free.
I often see a similar phenomenon amongst investors who ask me about investing in the “shiny thing” they hear about. The new-fangled investment idea that the financial media breathlessly reports on. At some point you may get too close and will have to identify that idea as a gator or a guiderail.
In this case I should have relied on my tried-and-true method of following the correct landmarks to find our way back. Sometimes seeking a shortcut is not the best way to find your way to your destination.
