Thoughts on the Ukraine/Russia Crisis from Tiller Founder Peter Polson
In these uncertain times, the team at Tiller knows our customers count on our service to help maintain a sense of financial preparedness. While our role is a small one, it’s a role the whole Tiller team is proud to offer.
The following message comes from Tiller founder Peter Polson.
Two weeks ago at midnight, I sat together on the couch with my wife and our two boys watching our friend Novie McCabe race in her first Olympics as a cross country skier. Having followed Novie on skis for the last eight years, I was inspired to see her and the other competitors come together to celebrate the best of human athletic potential.
You can’t watch the Olympics without coming away with stories of greatness. One of my favorites came from the alpine races. After Mikaela Shiffrin from the United States had a few challenging skis which rattled her confidence, she wanted to borrow skis. Italian skier and silver medalist Sofia Goggia shared her own downhill skis with Mikaela, and Sofia taped a note of encouragement on top: “FLY MIKA, YOU CAN.”
We’d barely finished watching the Olympics when the ground trembled.
In the space of a week and the closing ceremony of the Olympics, we’re feeling the heartbreak and horror of an unprovoked assault on a sovereign democracy. This tragedy rattles many assumptions we hold about how the world works in the 21st century.
I’ve never been to Ukraine, but I hold that country and what it represents in my heart right now. Much of what we’re doing at Tiller is premised on the promise of peace, order, and economic empowerment. We’ve taken this for granted, but that is also being shaken at the moment.
Looking back, it was two years ago this month I wrote about the uncertain times at the start of the pandemic. I thought it was going to be a journey of weeks, not years. And yet here we are, finally feeling some promise about the future of the pandemic but facing a new war in Europe.
Amidst these challenges, we know that you, our customers, count on us to help maintain a sense of financial preparedness. That matters in uncertain times. While our role here is a small one, it’s the role the whole Tiller team is proud to offer.
As before, we’re continuing to add a double dose of “presume positive intent” to our morning coffee, knowing everyone is under increased stress.
I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a note at peterp@tillerhq.com and let me know what’s on your mind, or how you’re navigating these times.
Thanks for being a part of Tiller.
– Peter Polson, founder Tiller
