I went to see my friend Scott Carrino this afternoon, it was our weekly bartered lesson – I teach writing, he is teaching me Tai Chi. I’ve had a painful muscle condition in recent weeks, I think it was sparked by some of the medication I am on following my heart surgery, it makes sleeping and some movements difficult. Scott is struggling in  his very busy world to make time for his writing and music. He is a creative soul, the spark burns very brightly within, and so it was a time of some struggle for both of us.

I told him that writing, like Tai Chi, must be done from a place of calm and clarity, not of struggle and frustration. He does not need advice from others, he does not need to feel pressure to produce. The words will come when he is ready for them. He told me the same thing about Tai Chi, it was about movement and centering, calm and grounding. We both need one another in this way, when I left, Scott felt easier about his creativity and I was in less pain.

We talk to one another openly, honestly, a rare thing for men, an important thing for me. Not surprisingly, Scott and Red are close. It ought not be a surprise that these two friends of mine would be close to one another, both are intuitive, and if you love one, you will almost certainly love the other. They are powerfully connected. I have often said the only men I can be close to were either tortured as children or humiliated as adults. This has turned out to be a prophecy.

Even sweet Red was treated poorly back in Ireland, I don’t care to share the details, I do not see him as an abused or rescued dog, he is whole and loving and much in the world. I do not like to put labels on the animals I love. Or the people It was a sweet time at Scott’s farm, important and gentle and meditative. I think Tai Chi will work for me.