Q-of-the-Day: Are you a spontaneous hugger?

In my creed that I wrote earlier, I touched upon how much I believe in the power of touch (I don't know if that would be called a pun or not but the double use of the word touch was intended). And lately I've been missing a lot of touch. When I get comfortable and intimate with people, I like to be able to feel them close to me. I don't mean that in a romantic or sexual way at all. I feel that way about close friends... both male and female, my mom, little kids I am close with, etc. No, I'm not some Michael Jackson type and am not making an excuse for behavior like that but I just feel that there is nothing more therapeutic than a hug and there is nothing that I want more than to just sit and cuddle sometimes and be close to someone and feel their touch.


I don't know if I'm just digging myself deeper and deeper here or if people understand what I'm saying, but I'm going to keep going. When I lived in Florence, my "sorellina" (aka my "little sister" or the 6 year old daughter of the family I was staying with for 4 months) and I were really close. I spent as much time with her as possible and loved her like a real sister. We used to watch movies together, play dominoes or as she called it "matching game", color, sing songs, and play with each others hair, etc. I miss the feel of her little fingers trying to gather my hair together to put in a ponytail. I miss her taking my hand to lead me to the kitchen or the playroom. I miss her cuddling next to me on my bed as we watched Finding Nemo on my laptop.


More recently, this past year my bed (or really anybody's bed) was often a popular hangout for our apartment. I miss cuddling with Kimber in the mornings and I miss squeezing Masty M.D. and a ton of people onto my bed and watching YouTube videos. The list could go on and on... not with bed activities really... but just with the ways that I've felt connected with people through touch that I now have felt void of for a little while.


I think touch is really powerful. I've read articles about premature babies gaining strength and getting healthy faster when they are cuddled and held more. I totally believe that. I have a few friends that don't like hugging and get uncomfortable by cuddling and being close with people. We joke with them and say that they weren't hugged enough as a child. I wonder if thats true? This is something I want to learn more about because I am a true believer in the power of touch but I want to find if there is truth or fact behind it. If anybody knows of any books or articles on this topic-- let me know. But for the meantime, my Q-of-the-Day...


Are you a spontaneous hugger?

i.e. If one of your friends were to randomly hug you/cuddle up next to you... how would you react? Do you like that interaction? Do you do it to others?


My answer: Yes, yes, and more yes.

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