::: THE SUBJECT OF 'HUGS'. ::: Within half an hour of meeting you, before we part company, I'll ask you if you want a hug? Not a cyber-hug, a real one. ::: Living in a skin-starved society of 'touch-me-nots' coming by a good hug is an epiphany.::: A hug can tell a whole lot of about a person's state of being in the world, their state of mind is revealed by the mere gesture of a friendly hug. ::: People will react in different ways to being offered a hug. It matters not their gender, age, social status, culture almost no one I have ever met has outright refused a hug. ::: A hug is not like a kiss, it isn't an invitation to something more than what it is. ::: What a hug is is saying, "I acknowledge you. I accept you as you are in this moment, at this time, in this place. Now." ::: Some people I've hugged tense up instinctively. They need hugs more than anybody else. I can feel the tension in their bodies all drain out of them as they relax and melt. A hug can be a powerful thing. ::: You would think that men would be less accepting of a hug than are women. Not necessarily. They may be a tiny bit more "suspicious" about it, but are generally quite accepting as they are surprised that anybody would want to give them a hug. The trick lies in not communicating the wrong message to them. It's not a grope. It has to be more quickly released. ::: Women tend to be more accustomed to both receiving and giving hugs, probably because society more readily accepts and is accustomed to the fact that women are more "touch" prone. The most common reaction I've received from women of all ages is the lighting up of their faces and a their whole interior world is revealed in their melting. ::: I have met relatively few women who are so taken aback by the offer that when they do accept the genuineness of my offer, they'll stiffen, hesitate, and then go for it. I wonder at all that tension in their bodies. I don't need to ask, and I don't. ::: Children of all ages are the best of all when it comes to hugs. They have no such scruples as do adults with all their baggage.:: The elderly are the easiest probably because by the time they reach old age they welcome a hug with open arms and while they are more fragile than others, they are also more grateful that anybody would give them what they need most. Being touched, as they so rarely are. ::: I'm a natural born hugger and have been doing it my whole adult life. I used to wear this little pin on my jacket which simply stated: "Hug Therapist". There isn't a day that goes by, if I am out and about, that I don't give away a free hug to anybody who will accept one and give me one back. ::: So, if you ever meet me in person, know that I will offer to give you a hug. I need one too. So don't be surprised. Give me a hug. :-) :::