Some days ago TUNG was fetched and brought into my apartment. The urge to have a dog was there for many years, but so often the arguments against weighted down my wish. Now it has broken through and my life has changed drastically. Tung is a female Chow Chow and her name is derived from the 12th century Neo-Confucian Chinese thinker: Tung Shou I, whom I admire. Fine. Let me first say that Tung gives me moments of intense joy and togetherness. As I speak to her she seems to listen. When I massage her belly she utters little sounds of satisfaction. This morning I held my hand there without moving for about half an hour, she didn’t move. Perhaps some sort of “energy” had passed from me into her? I am known to have magic hands. But this was thought too one-sided; as I walked a little later I noticed a remarkable improvement in my left neuropathic foot! Had TUNG given me some sort of energy in return? The mind de-frames and I ask myself if she is the reincarnation of someone special. My mind jumps on; suddenly I remember one of the most moving things I witnessed: Dr Daniel de Haas and his wife going around on a Sunday afternoon in a hospice for neglected donkeys. Both Dr de Haas  and his wife are outstanding acupuncturists, and they were giving with their hands the neglected donkeys the necessary energy. It is beyond words. Is TUNG somehow connected with this?

As the days progress I sense in myself an unmistakeable change; it is as if I am more comfortable within myself. Yes, by taking her out early in the morning to have her touch grass under her feet and immediately do her pee, and repeating that 3 more times, plus 2 long walks in the woods where she is not on a leash, my previous rhythm in life is shattered and I am knackered. No time for printing or painting. I guess it will last for at least another 3 months before we settle into a steady daily routine. And yet it doesn’t bother me because Tung awakens in the two of us something that is precious & solid – I would say : a firm commitment that is timeless.