About that hug

 

If the link doesn't work, listen to Bill Withers -Lean on me 

        Last weekend I've met up with some friends I've known for half my life at this point. Life, children, work have kept us busy so we probably haven't seen each other in a bit over 2 years. The hugs I got (and gave ) where epic, and not due to static electricity.  It got me thinking about how many types of hugs there are and how they make you feel:

• The weird smelling aunt you see once a year at a family function
• The goodbye hug to a coworker who taught you alot but is now leaving the company
• The hug from your wife's third cousin's wife when she comes to your wedding and you never saw her before in your life
• Your partner's hug when you've been away for a long time and you see each other at the airport.
• The hug you give your mother when your father has passed away. 
• The hug from the guy with the "Free hugs" placard in the photo. 

  All of those and many more are public displays of affection (I'm old enough to remember when PDAs were a manager's gadget before tablets and smartphones came around). Some make your knees weak, some make you smile, some you just bear through because it's expected socially.   Some of them you crave for hours before you get them, some stay with you for years. 

    But how important is a hug anyway? Someone once told me she was very starved for affection  and if needed she will ask anyone around her for a hug. Wouldn't have bothered me except she told me that after she had been away for a week and another 10-day trip was on the horizon, and we had been dating for 2 weeks... I chose not to be too bothered by it (after some discussions though) and I don't know if she ever needed or got those hugs. What I do remember is the hug she did gave me when she came back after that second trip, it did make a statement 

        You can hug your parents, your partner, your best friend, a stranger or a coworker. You can't hug someone over the internet (yet). Hugs feel good. Sometimes a hug can be better than a kiss. It can be so good that your partner may take displeasure in you getting one from your ex if you met her on the street. 

     A hug can be lots of things, make it be something good! May you be hugged!