When Was The Last Time You Hugged Someone?
I mean truly hugged them?
We’ve all heard the saying that hugging has health benefits.
While staying in San Francisco, I noticed a couple of students in Union Square. A young woman in her twenties and a young man of similar age. They both carried a two-foot square board with the words ‘Free hugs, here.’
I stood in my hotel window. Jenny and I dressing to go see a show, and I watched for five minutes to observe how many people took up their offer. In five minutes, not one. After an hour, back and forth to the window, several people did take them up, men and women. I said to Jenny, “Before we get into the car, I’d like to go over and give those young people a hug.”
Jenny looked out the window. “That’s fine, they are asking to be hugged. These days, one has to be very careful about how you approach people.”
She’s right. But it feels like we have lost some vital part of ourselves in a dense forest of political correctness. These days, most people practice awkward avoidance. It’s the fear of being misunderstood.
I wondered how many San Franciscans, tourists, and day shoppers were wondering about the word Free. In today's world, marketers have grabbed the word to make it mean something different entirely. You’ve noticed when you want to download an app on your phone. Free, it says, and in small print, ‘in-app purchases.’
What are the fears that drive our disconnect from each other? I know how hugs make me feel. It is a moment of direct engagement. Naturally, I don’t hug every person I meet, but when I give a hug, I want that person to know I mean it.
We left the hotel overlooking Union Square, and I hoped the two young people would still be offering their hugs. They were.
Jenny and I received great hugs.
Pushing past that envelope of comfort, the edges we impose on ourselves, is where the Big Stuff Happens. By this, I mean the stuff we are unaware of, which we don’t know then, but later think, wow, that was big.
More from Harry:
Adrienne Beaumont, Brett Jenae Tomlin, The Sturg, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Trisha Faye, Karen Schwartz, Nancy Oglesby, Katie Michaelson, Bernie Pullen, Michelle Jimerson Morris, Amyy, Julia A. Keirns, Pamela Oglesby, Tina, Pat Romito LaPointe, Ruby Noir 😈, Brandon Ellrich, Misty Rae, Karen Hoffman, Deb Palmer, Susie Winfield, Vincent Pisano, Marlene Samuels, Ray Day, Randy Pulley, Michael Rhodes, Lu Skerdoo, Pluto Wolnosci 🟣, Paula Shablo, Bruce Coulter, Ellen Baker, Kelley Murphy, Leigh-Anne Dennison, Jennifer Marla Pike, Carmen Ballesteros, Patricia Timmermans, Keeley Schroder, Jan Sebastian 🖐👩🦰, James Michael Wilkinson, Whye Waite, John Hansen, Trudy Van Buskirk,
(No offense will be taken if you dislike being tagged for various reasons. Please let me know, and I’ll be sure it doesn’t happen on my posts again. If, on the other hand, you’d grace me by allowing a tag, I’d be thrilled to add you.)
Thanks for reading.
