A Hug

A hug is something you give to your friends when they feel down, or when you meet them or whatever. But I find the most telling hug is the one you're given or you give when you meet someone, its the first most visceral reaction you have to a person, and yet somehow, its also the most intimate gesture you can give someone.

It used to be that I thought I gave the WORST hugs. Like straight backed and stiff, awkward mostly. And I always believed that it was due to my height or something. But I found that I can and do hug just fine, and its not just with friends but with people I find I like and the only problems I've had with hugging family was with people who had problems hugging themselves. So it turns out that its just selected people who get the short end of the stick sometimes, and its often at the most awkward of times that it gets weird. To take an example, at the passing of a certain teacher, I had the most difficulty ever hugging his wife. But when I received an award from her, it was fine. I don't know if there is a logical conclusion to this post but I'm gonna persevere.

My theory is that ultimately you're only as comfortable hugging someone, as that someone is comfortable hugging you. And I'm glad some of my friends have shown me the truth in that. I think I'm at peace now and I can't wait for the stuff that this year's gonna throw at me.