Can I Have a Hug?

I was driving in the car yesterday, yacking with Shae, tickling her legs and have a grand ol time when a woman pulled up next to me and gave me the nastiest glare I had ever gotten in my life.

My mind races to think if I had done any rude driving habits and no, I was just driving along. The only thing I could think of is that I had been tickling Shae. The thought became very clear that from behind, it "could" have looked like I was beating my kid. The arm reaches back to the back seat, my child's arms and legs are flying, pushing my hand away, and lately even I have seen one to many domestic car abuses that I wished I had not witnessed. I could understand where she may have been coming from. To which when I made the connection I looked her right in the face, made eye contact, reached my arm back, tickled Shae and drove away both Shae and I laughing our heads off.

"Heads off?" Whoever came up with that phrase? Kind of creepy when you think about it.hmmmm....Anyway!

I have been thinking of how much I depend on physical touch. I have been looking around my world and noticing that we have become a "non-touchy" people and internally I have wept. I can see how society has made our world untouchable because of certain wrong messages can be perceived. I am not so naive to say that all hugs are innocent however it seems that the few wrongs have spoiled it for the rest of us.

I remember when I was 12 years old, I went through a phase that I needed a hug from my mom all the time! ALL THE TIME! I drove her so nuts that one day, she gave me a hug and told me the constant hugging had to stop. I don't blame her, I can see that it would be very time consuming and annoying, however my craving subsided for only a short period of time.

I think that when I was YW president that I creeped the young women out with my hugs. So I started slowly with a handshake, to knuckles, to half hugs to full on hugs. I even had a young woman who flat out told me 3 years ago that she "doesn't do hugs." Really? hmmm... It took me 2 years, but by the end of that time, she came to me and gave me the hugs.

So whats the payoff for me? I can honestly tell you that my hugs are pure. The best way I could describe it is this:

"a hug is not romantic, and it's not intimate. I'm a firm believer in the power of a hug. It's the kind of embrace you get from a friend, a parent, a sibling-sometimes a stranger-with no expectations or implications, just a simple expression of concern, support and acceptance." -Wade

I am scared to think what kind of world we will become if we stopped hugging, or holding the hand of a loved one. You may be saying to yourself "well, I'm just not a touchy person." Really? You need a hug! Lots of hugs! And then you will miss the embrace of someone in this world that is saying that they care for you.

So, I challenge you today, to go out and hug someone! Hug your spouse, hug your children, hug your friends, and if you are brave enough, hug a stranger. I promise that both parties will feel a lot better.

And in the long wrong, I may be getting less glares for tickling my daughter!