Kevin Tiller

It feels weird to say it, but I quite like writing. I don’t think I am really that good at it, and I am writing this blog for my kids, or grandkids, or myself so it doesn’t even matter if its good writing or not, but I quite enjoy it.

The more I write the more I like it (yep – exactly how it is with running and even yoga, maybe …).

This article has a few good comments and as always is better put than my own efforts

• Writing helps you reflect on your life and changes you’re making. This is incredibly valuable, as often we do things without realizing why, or what effects these things are having on us.

• Writing clarifies your thinking. Thoughts and feelings are nebulous happenings in our mind holes, but writing forces us to crystalize those thoughts and put them in a logical order.

• Writing daily forces you to come up with new ideas regularly, and so that forces you to solve the very important problem of where to get ideas. What’s the answer to that problem? Ideas are everywhere! In the people you talk to, in your life experiments, in things you read online, in new ventures and magazines and films and music and novels. But when you write regularly, your eyes are open to these ideas

When I was in Dhaka I read a magazine called “Kinfolk” and took a photo of this quote which I quite like and it’s sort of relvant to this post:

You will have seen my lists of short inspirational quotes here and other notes here - here are some recent additions :

• This one could pretty much summarise my worldview – “the world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion” by  tom paine.
• This one is good also : “there are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting” reportedly by the  buddha (but hard to prove?) . It could also be used about running, in fact its even better that way! ”there are only two mistakes one can make when running; not going all the way, and not starting” (quote me on that!)

I don’t have a tattoo – just never saw the need, and I think the current mania for having a tattoo is a bit dumb. haircuts are ok as they grow out.

As always, someone else said it a lot better than I ever could:

Some people say that their tattoos serve as reminders of the most important people and moments in their lives. You know what happens with the most memorable things in my life? I remember them.

At university I heard a theory that people have tattooed on themselves the qualities that they yearn to possess. The wimp gets a tiger, the violent partner a love heart with his wife’s name, the alcoholic a picture of
Jesus. Instead of drawing a picture on yourself of what you want to be, why not just commit to being it?

However I do have both my ears pierced. I started with one ear maybe 15 years ago then I was talking to my daughters (who were having ears pierced at the time) and thought I should get the other one done also as most blokes don’t have both pierced, although it doesn’t mean anything one way or the other.

Now I am older (and wiser?) I don’t need to show, prove or anything to or for anyone. Ummm maybe I should remove them – I don’t have any other jewelry other than my wedding ring and I can’t take that off, you’d have to cut off my finger !