Tiffany Painter

Be Like Tina
If anyone were to ask me what my favorite things are I would answer my pets (really all cats and dogs) and books. My son hit the jackpot with the last gift he got me. He found a book about a man who has made it his life’s mission to help the dogs in Thailand. Tina The Dog Who Changed The World by Niall Harbison is the inspiring tale of a dog who Niall found chained up in really bad shape. Tina had been treated horribly by humans and suffered greatly, but her ability to find joy in the short time she had with Niall stirred passion in the people who helped her to keep her spirit alive. It would be easy to get weighed down by the horrible shape so many of the dogs Niall rescued were in, but as an animal lover, I was touched by the spirit of these animals. For a dog to be treated so cruelly and left to die and then be able to still wag its tale and find joy in a tennis ball, that is powerful. So often people face hardships that don’t even compare to what these dogs faced and come out bitter and resentful and only manage to continue spreading evil. These animals can teach their two-legged counter-parts a thing or two about kindness and giving to others. When I look around at the way people treat each other and go about their daily lives full of bitterness because of wrongs they feel have been done to them, wrongs that can’t even compare to what happened to Tina, it makes me really appreciate the spirit of dogs. I know I have a pretty great life, but I’m going to try to be more like Tina and find joy whenever and wherever I can.
5/27

new transportation
waiting for driver to show
morning mystery
6/1

rooted to the ground
strong foundation spread out wide
now reach for the sky
6/4

not invited here
crashing the garden party
bringing all the joy
6/6

round and round we go
avoiding troublesome storms
waiting in the sky
6/7

stepped in a painting
surprise view along my path
picture perfect day
June 7, 2025

haiga, haiku, joyful, pets
Slow Days and Fast Years
Graduation season is upon us. The time of year when we celebrate a person who has completed a course of study. I attending the party for my childhood friend’s son last night. As we stood in front of the collection of pictures she had collected of her son’s life from infancy through the eighteen years that got us to this point, it became clear, more than a course of study had been completed. Her family puts the rest of us to shame with their ability to document everything, so there were a lot of pictures. Seeing ample evidence of this person’s growth from being a sweet, energetic little boy to a serious young man ready to start his next journey, reminded me of the changes my own children went through when we marked the passage of time for them. Graduations are bittersweet. Parents stand by with pride at each milestone their children make, grinning from ear to ear. It is an amazing feeling to see your child accomplish something they worked hard for, from learning to walk, to starting kindergarten, to graduating high school. But with each celebration comes the realization that something is lost. The little child that once needed to be tucked in at night, the five year old who squealed with delight running through the sprinklers, the third grader who wanted your help learning their multiplication facts, even the grumpy teenager that needed additional wake up calls on school mornings are all gone. I know the young person standing there in their graduation gown came about from all the layers of growing up, but each additional layer covers up that younger version more and more. See why there are tears mixed with those grins when parents cheer on their children when they walk across the stage to collect their diplomas? That is when the full meaning of the days are slow but the years are fast hits home.
5/8

waiting for wishes
that can be carried away
secrets in the breeze
5/10

another lake walk
turquoise sky mirrored below
start of sunny day
5/19

not a bird in sight
completely parched and idle
waiting to be filled
5/22

swimming all alone
disrupting morning calmness
searching for others
5/24

kickoff to summer
swimsuit and flip-flops ready
but where is the sun
May 24, 2025

haiga, haiku, seasons
Living With Purpose
Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m constantly fighting against the current of society rather than embracing life and really living in this world. This restless feeling got me to pick up a book off my TBR (to be read) pile that had been waiting for the perfect moment to be read. Now was that moment. The book by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is called How We Learn to Be Brave – Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. I am still reading so can’t give you a review of the whole book, but the first three chapters shared great messages. Chapter one is about deciding to go. In this chapter Budde reminds the reader that taking a leap into the unknown is often scary, but when done with purpose when we feel summoned to go, can lead to amazing things. She referenced something called a “Lifequake.” This is something so big it changes our meaning, direction, or purpose. I experienced a Lifequake when I made the difficult decision to leave teaching. I knew I was giving up something I had worked hard for and had poured my whole self into, but I also knew education had changed so much and wasn’t something I wanted to continue making my family sacrifice for. It took a couple of years to really feel like I had an identity separate from that of teacher. The second chapter is about deciding to stay. This decision is often seen as no action, but sometimes staying can be harder than going. This can refer to relationships (friends, family, and romantic), location, jobs, etc. Staying is capable of providing stability when that is what is needed. Budde wrote that “choosing stability in an area can give those who depend on us opportunity to thrive and grow.” She did not mean we are expected to sacrifice ourselves for someone else’s happiness, but when we make the choice to stay for ourselves, we might find we are the ones thriving and growing, When we stay we have to commit; we have to be all in, even if just for a set amount of time. When I left teaching, I made the decision only a few months after the year started. I considered leaving mid-year because it was such a bad situation for me. My children told me to consider the entire class and if my being there helped just a couple kids, then I should stay for the rest of the school year. I could immediately picture the faces of the students that relied on me to continue their personal education journey and knew staying was the right thing. That meant I had to be all in though. I know some of the adults will say I wasn’t all in, but for the kids I was. I set the end date and then buckled down to finish the year with them. The third chapter is about deciding to start. For me, this chapter was about putting the first two chapters together. Sometimes we need to stay and get ready for going. As I ended one part of my life by leaving education, I had to start preparing for the next step. I used the rest of the year to think about how I wanted the next part of living to look like. It’s been three years now that I can’t call myself a teacher anymore, and that took some adjustment. In this quieter phase of my life, I now call myself a writer. I made that decision to start and have been learning and practicing and working on my craft. And for anyone else who is walking this path as well, it does not take finding an agent or editor and getting a book deal to call yourself a writer, it just takes putting ideas down on paper (or screen). For me, I’ve made the decision to start living with purpose.
4/24

raised for confinement
like animals at the zoo
flowers in a vase
4/26

books divided by type
sign of too many waiting
yet drawn back for more
4/27

sneaks across the path
wrapping soft arms around us
foggy morning walk
5/2

winter’s last holdout
defiantly standing tall
waving bare branches
5/3

after snowy months
before sweltering season
perfect lilac days
May 3, 2025

books, change, haiga, haiku, haiku Saturday, Walks with Zephyr
A True Love Story
I just finished a book and would love to tell you what I thought about it, but I am still deciding. I started out reading This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer thinking it would be just that, a love story. I knew it would have a sad ending because the wife is dying. It was described as a celebration of great love at the end of the fifty years Abe and Jane spent together going to Central Park first as young lovers, then as exhausted parents, and now to remember a life together. The story is told from multiple points of view, including the park itself. I think I went into it thinking it would be a sweet story about a long marriage and the difficulties of saying goodbye. I was wrong, This book showed how messy life and marriage is and how it’s not even the same for everybody involved, including the children. Jane was an artist and carried her own baggage into motherhood after losing her mother at a young age. Abe is conflicted between fulfilling his parents’ desires for him and his own longing to be an author. Max, their son, struggles with his own identity after being raised by a mother who couldn’t find her way as a new mother weighed down with depression and a father who didn’t really know how to help her. By the time I finished the book I felt the exhaustion of the characters. This was anything but a simple love story. Life is messy, so so messy. There is no such thing as happily ever after. People say and do the wrong thing all the time, and it usually has nothing to do with you. Everyday is just a new chance to try to figure it all out and do the right thing. But everyday is a new day with new opportunities to make mistakes. It really is amazing that people latch on to each other and try to get through life together. When you add children to the mix, that just adds more parts to the mess. But really, for most people, isn’t it nice to have these people to anchor to? Even though they will say or do the wrong thing on their own journey, when it comes right down to it, these are the people that will also help dig you out when life gets hard and lift you up when they can. Blunders and all, I’m happy to have my people helping me through my love story, and I think I liked the book after all.
4/9

sunny company
two friends walking together
dog and his shadow
4/12

oh, to be a tree
exfoliate what is old
and start fresh again
4/13

with every new bloom
I feel my soul burst free
shedding winter’s weight
4/18

there’s always that one
willing to be different
secretly revered
4/19

spring has sprung a leak
leftover winter seeped in
sun fixing problem
April 20, 2025

books, haiga, haiku, reading, Walks with Zephyr
A Day for Celebrating
Yesterday was a big day of celebrating. I took my mom to the 94th birthday party of my childhood friend’s mother. When you live next door to your BFF, her mother becomes your second mother. You are expected to follow her rules at her house the way her daughter needs to follow your mom’s rules at your house. All of my friend’s siblings were there with many of their children, now mostly grown as well. You can imagine the reminiscing that went on. The younger generation laughed at the stories their grandmother shared as well as those told by their parents, aunts, uncles, and family friends. One of the birthday girl’s favorite memories from childhood was having tea parties with her miniature tea set. This provided the background for yesterday’s tea party complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones, and miniature sugar cookies. Everyone completed sentences about her life trying to figure out the best or correct answers to a time we weren’t present for. The dutiful daughters tried their best to remember the stories their mother told them, but the grandkids had more fun making up outlandish tales about their beloved grandmother. Some of these stories earned them sharp looks from their parents shocked by what was being said in front of their elder who sat laughing and soaking up the love from her devoted fans. I was aware these festivities were taking place while thousands of people were gathering around the country to protest so many things happening right now. But being at this particular celebration reminded me that life is never traveled in a straight line. The 94 years this remarkable woman has been alive has been filled with so many ups and downs, both on a world level and a personal level. I’m sure when life was filled to capacity with hardships it felt like the end, but here we were enjoying a tea party and laughing together. On the drive back home through a few cities and towns, I was filled with hope. Seeing all the pictures shared by the people who came together at events around the country to bring about change now and seeing the proof that we can live through hard days and still find happiness celebrating with friends and family gives me hope that there will be better days again. Happy birthday, Betty!
3/28

easy day for me
only job is looking cute
soaking up the warmth
3/29

brothers united
looking out for each other
enough treats for all
4/2

distracted by view
outside my window because
Inside tasks are drab
4/4

moral support friend
gives feedback on downward dog
but prefers sphinx pose
4/6

blue skies overhead
mirrored in water below
place to sit and think
April 6, 2025

change, haiga, haiku, joyful
To All the Women
So I finished a book this week. Nothing new there. But this one really had me thinking because it’s about an issue that still isn’t solved. Not only is it not solved, but has taken steps backwards with the new political scene. The book is By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult and is told in dual POV and timeline. One character is a woman who lived during Shakespeare’s time. She wants to write plays but is forbidden because she is a woman. Throughout the course of the story, and it’s a long one, she experiences highs and lows, all at the whims of the men who are in control. The second storyline is also about a woman but is told in modern times. She also wants to write plays but has found women writers are not produced as often, or even close, as men writers. She is even told at one point that women stories are not as believable to the audience. If you have read a Picoult story, you already know she can write and her stories are believable. My issue is not with her. My issue is with the silencing of women. We are seeing this with our government right now as it erases references to anything to do with our accomplishments throughout history, our medical needs, our contributions to society. This is a giant step backwards. I find myself closing my circle of people because I take it personally that someone would rather vote for a corrupt man than a qualified woman. We should not need a month to acknowledge women because our worth and value should be a given. Rather than sink with despair over the state of things, I choose to sing my praise for all the women in my life. I hear you and hope you continue making the world a better place. I’m sorry this was more political than normal, but sometimes the timing of a book stirs up some emotions. I think I’ll read one of my fluff books on my TBR shelf next.
3/12

water flowing by
around the icy snow banks
captures attention
3/15

ready for action
morning stretches completed
waiting for play time
3/18

oh thief of my heart
looks so sweet and innocent
till the claws come out
3/20

something is wrong here
even I know trees grow up
score one for the wind
3/22

greetings all around
birds calling out as we pass
spring songs brighten mood
March 22, 2025

books, haiga, haiku, haiku Saturday, reading, women
Here’s to all the Women
Today is International Women’s Day (and my daughter’s birthday). A day to celebrate all the achievements made by women and to promote gender equality. This year this day seems even more important. It would be easy to slip into outrage over the lack of equality going on all around us for everybody not a member of the select group in charge, but instead, lets focus on how great women are. I did a quick internet search and found women are responsible for so many things. Interestingly, a lot of those items are useful, everyday things that make life a little better for everyone. Things like car heaters (Margaret A. Wilcox), dishwashers (Josephine Cochran), electric refrigerators (Florence Parpart), and fire escapes (Anna Connelly). It just goes to show that women are really good at solving problems and helping everyone out. What women have contributed to medicine, science, technology, and the arts could make this a really long post. If nothing else, anyone enjoying a cold beer this weekend can thank women living almost seven thousand years ago for creating it. For centuries only women were allowed to drink beer and operate breweries. So make sure you raise a glass to women today. And happy birthday to one of my favorite women.
2/16

frost covered morning
layered over prickly branch
for sparkly bed head
2/18

just a dog walking
wrapped in his favorite jacket
giving warmth to all
2/22

a girl and her dog
making tracks in the fresh snow
enjoying blue skies
2/24

always a good day
when the trail is freshly groomed
for me and my dog
3/5

unknown rocky path
to secret places below
hidden deep beneath
3/8

enjoying the day
by napping through the morning
big plans for later
March 8, 2025

haiga, haiku, haiku Saturday, women
Buckle up for Some Reading
I think I found the perfect reading spot. Imagine sitting in your chair, slightly leaning back, the lights are dim except for the little reading light above your head, somebody coming to you to offer a drink and snack, a tray to place your refreshments, the hum of an engine to drown out any chatter that may be happening near by, and you crack open a new book. You can pretend there isn’t a crying baby three rows behind you or the person next to you isn’t hogging the arm rest. But starting a book at the beginning of a trip while trapped on a plane so nothing else can pull you away is the best. I came prepared with two new books. Picking those two was difficult, but now I can just sit back and relax. The start of a trip is like the start of a book. You are still filled with all the hope and excitement of what may happen over the next several days. Your things are still neatly organized in your bags, clothes are fresh and clean, snacks have not been overeaten. In other words, things are still perfect. Whatever happens later is not your problem right now. You can just sit back and read to your hearts content. The plane provides a reading cocoon. There will be time to read during the trip, hopefully, but other things will be pulling for your attention. It could be family or friends, interesting sights, business obligations, the waves of the ocean, or any number of things that stand between you and your book. But these few hours stuck in one place are a treat worth savoring. When the plane touches down at your destination and you stow your book away again, just remember you still get to fly back home. If you’re lucky, your book might even bring back the aroma of a day at the beach.

What I brought to read: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. This is a topic close to my heart. Books should be shared, read, discussed, written, but never banned. The kids in this fiction book make be believe their should be a kid advisory group helping those in charge. I think everyone has forgotten to ask the people they are trying to protect how they feel and think. There are far worse things kids are being exposed to that nobody seems to care about.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. This author is a favorite of mine, both her fiction and nonfiction, but I definitely was happy to be traveling someplace I didn’t need to take shots and a regimen of medication just to stay alive. Patchett writes slow stories that give you time to reflect and imagine yourself right in the middle of things. I really don’t think I’m cut out for the insect-invested Amazon, but I love seeing what happens next for Dr. Marina Singh.

What I bought and read there: The Beach House on Amelia Island by Hope Holloway. I saw this book at an indie book store on Amelia Island and thought it sounded like a fun, fluff read at the beach, and it was. It reminded me of some of the lighter stuff on Netflix. Some family drama, some romance, and a little bit of mystery. Nothing too heavy. I love finding something local to read while away from home.
2/5

asking sun for help
basking in the warmth it gives
on frosty mornings
2/8

with each crashing wave
breaking against sandy beach
sun raises me up
2/11

resting on a log
time for some turtle yoga
stretching out those toes
2/15

all is right again
those who traveled far away
back where they belong
February 15, 2025

beach, books, haiga, haiku Saturday, joyful, reading
Reading Era
I just finished reading two books that, together, sum up life. The first one was Wellness by Nathan Hill. This book has a lot of great reviews and everyone loved it. It even had Oprah’s stamp of approval. But I had to force myself to read it at times. It had stories of depressing childhoods, family drama, marriage struggles, social media wars, and even scientific studies. It basically covered most elements of life. The writing was good and the plots were creative in the way they came together, but it was a tad heavy. The second book, She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke was a lighthearted rom-com, murder mystery. It was funny and punny in the most delightful way. I loved curling up with a blanket and my cats during the dark days of January to escape into the ridiculousness of this story. I don’t see Oprah slapping her sticker on this one. The lack of sticker is what got me thinking. Why is it that the heavier the topic the more awards something gets, books or movies? Isn’t life stressful enough? Don’t we all crave laughter, fun, and happiness? I read across genres and age categories. I get a solid mix between heaviness and lightness. I must confess, I enjoy the feeling I get from reading fun books more. I will still read the thought-provoking ones, but I don’t want to have to hide my love for what’s fun. Society seems to look down on beach reads, comedies, and rom-coms in favor of the “more meaningful” books, but after the January we just had, I’m tired of deep thinking. I’m off to find another book to make me laugh.
1/19

winter bites my nose
exposed between scarf and hat
alone on the trail
1/29

streaks of warm color
breaks up all the winter white
heats us from above
1/31

month of frigid days
another January
ready for new month
2/1

a lot to be said
for staying indoors, but please
less talking right now
February 1, 2025

books, haiga, haiku, haiku Saturday, joyful, reading, Walks with Zephyr, winter
Happy With a Book
I just started reading a YA (young adult) book called Being Mary Bennet by J.C. Peterson. The main character is a high school senior named Marnie who in addition to having all the awkwardness of a 17- year-old is happiest in the library reading. None of this is especially original, but when Marnie’s friend calls her a Mary Bennet in a not good way, I took notice. What’s wrong with Mary Bennet? I had to get out my old copy of Pride and Prejudice to place this Bennet sister. I remembered Jane as the oldest and prettiest, Elizabeth as the one who was too proud to admit her feelings for the dashing Mr. Darcy, and Lydia as the troublemaker younger sister. The youngest sister was Kitty who needed to be redirected from the bad influences of Lydia. But what was Mary’s story? Then I remembered. Mary was the bookish one and often considered the boring sister. In most movie adaptations, Mary is a minor character. The typical overlooked middle child. As a middle child who is often reading, I am a little offended at this stereotype. Reading should not be seen as a boring habit or something that makes a person boring. I read across most genres (still not brave enough to read horror) and find that gives me more knowledge of things I may never experience first hand. I can appreciate multiple points of view and, because I read books for all ages, I can relate to people outside my age bracket. Choosing a life with less drama and appreciating a good book does not make a person boring just happier. I’ll keep reading to see how Marnie shakes this stereotype because I have faith that she will, but I think she’ll still keep reading. And so will I.
1/6

living with regret
didn’t leave when had the chance
shivers in the cold
1/8

best of both worlds
longing for blue summer days
finding joy in snow
1/11

found good spot to lie
stretched out by the fireplace
may be her till spring
1/15

when it’s cold outside
hanging out inside might be
most excellent idea
1/18

waiting for a change
warm days, brown land soon to end
arctic air blows in
January 18, 2025

books, haiga, haiku, haiku Saturday, reading