Hugging is one of my favorite things. How about you? Do you love to hug people? There is a multitude of people that you can hug and feel confident that they are happy to return the hug. My suggestion is to give them a hug today, while you can.
Who is hug worthy in your life? Possibly your mom and/or dad. Your children, your spouse. Relatives in general, like aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. An old friend you haven’t seen in a while. How about new friends that you see all the time? Maybe your pastor or priest? Your neighbors may be worthy of a hug, depending on your relationship with them.
What is a hug?
A hug is an embrace. It’s a way to show someone that you love them. Or show them you cherish them. It’s a way to let them know that your life would not be complete without them. It’s a form of endearment. This is true if you start the hug and sometimes even when you are the one being enfolded in their arms.
Sometimes a hug can be meaningless. As a child did your parents ever force you to give a strange person a hug. Maybe it was the first time you met a grandparent or maybe you ran into an aunt in the grocery store. Or a cousin of the opposite sex that was really annoying the last time you were at his or her house. Sometimes if you are not up to hugging and it is not a loving situation you may be able to shake their hand, back away, and smile instead.
Hug today while you can
What do I mean by that? There is always tomorrow. Or is there? There are so many people in this world that wish they could have one more hug with their spouse. Or one more chance to hug their child. Maybe they will be separated for a long period of time. An example would be if their child is off to college, leaving for training or deployment in the military. Maybe your spouse will be out of town for a conference for five days. Or a guy’s fishing trip or lady’s weekend. Many families experience these separations. If you know anyone in this situation, please realize that it’s not the same, but I think they could use a hug, while they’re missing that person.
For others the separation is permanent. There is no bringing back a child that has died of a horrific disease like cancer. Or a parent that had his/or her final stroke or heart attack. The spouse and children that were on their way home from a pizza party when they were hit by a drunk driver and there were no survivors. Or the teenager that died by suicide. A friend who lost her battle with breast cancer just before her 50th birthday. A relative in the hospital with Covid-19 that never comes home again.
So hug everyone you love today.
Daily Hugs
It’s not always possible to hug everyone you know on a daily basis, and no one would expect you to do that. However, it’s better to over hug than under hug. There are days that I left my mom’s house, only five minutes away, without hugging her. I question myself regularly, did I hug her the last day I saw her? I wish I could have seen her one more time and hugged her and said goodbye. But the next time I saw her a few days later, she was alone in her home, having peacefully passed away.
I have times where I worry when my husband is late and I wonder if he is coming home. Did I give him a hug and kiss before he left? Likely not since we see each other nearly every day now that we have retired. That is something that I would regret the rest of my life if he didn’t come home.
Parents most likely get to a point in life that their children don’t really want a hug before they leave for school, a party at a friend’s, or a date. Maybe you can request that they accept the hug from you, as their parent, because you never know what lies ahead. You may not be there when they return, or they may not return.
Maybe hugging is not your thing
You surely have some way that you show your love for people that you love. Maybe a kiss on the cheek or a pat on the back. Maybe you are more formal and shake their hand. It is likely the way you were raised, that determines how you respond to someone you love. Not everyone was raised to hug. It’s up to you how you express your love. If you start hugging people, maybe you would grow to appreciate it. But if hugging truly isn’t your thing, be sure to at least show your love to those you love in some way, as often as you can. There is no way to make up for it if there is no tomorrow in your life or theirs.
Covid-19 or other infectious diseases
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the world is still fighting the Covid-19 virus. And it is flu season. So these two things may keep you from hugging some people. It most likely will not affect the immediate family that you live with. And depending on other factors, there may be other acquaintances that you feel comfortable hugging, maybe while wearing masks. I hugged a dear friend this week that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was natural to hug her and we both were wearing masks. Take precautions as needed but do not take this as an excuse to discontinue hugs on a permanent basis.
Show your love today
I hope what I said doesn’t sound too morbid, but reminds you that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us. It would be great to know that after reading this, you have become more determined to freely give hugs, kisses, pats on the backs, and offering your hand to hold to everyone you love. You will never regret it. But you could regret it if you do not.
Have you noticed what happens when you hug someone? Most often they will hug back and a large smile will turn up on their face. A smile that will make you smile if you aren’t already smiling. Take my advice and hug today while you can.
How do you show your love to others? Do you do it often? Let me know your feelings about hugging in the comment section below.
