Red has his fourth acupuncture session yesterday. It has, from my point of view, been successful and meaningful for Red.  And for me.

In our work with Dr. Colleen Flaherty, I think Red has connected with her, been communicating with her in some ways. I think he has, in fact, been visibly internalizing some of the calming work of acupuncture, he seems easier, less stressed. Colleen has also worked with me to get Red fully past his hookworm, we have used fish oil and pro-biotics to moisten his coat and skin, cleanse his digestive system.

I see in this experience something of a passion of mine – an exploration of spirituality and animals. I think Red connects to Colleen in the way a student would with a teacher or a spiritual master, he turns himself over to her, he accepts the needles easily, he settles into his 20 minute lie down and rest in the same way I settle on a massage table, or during meditation.

I think Red is learning slowly to do the one thing nobody ever taught him – to relax, ground himself, quiet himself, take himself off the clock. I think it is good for him, he is asked to do so much.

I find the process has been spiritual for me, calming for me. We don’t say much, Colleen asks about Red’s week, how he has been doing and then she puts the needles in him, and then he lies down, as still as I have seen him. Then we leave. I am not sure how far to take this, it is not something I want to do every week but I’m not sure I’m ready to stop. I’ll think about it on the trip to Tulsa and decide next week how far to take it. It seems quite worthwhile to me.