'Audio version of this story' about 1 hour in 14 tracks.

The Cricket Story

Football players do it for support. These giant macho guys think nothing of embracing one another in a huddle in the middle of a field on national television while millions of people watch. Keep up the great example guys! Don't worry about what anyone thinks.

Heads of state do it in greeting. That's the custom in many parts of the world, so when we're in Rome...let's make peace, not war.

Cosmonauts and astronauts do it in space. See the story later entitled American Greeted by Cosmonauts, which appeared in the McPherson Sentinel March 16, 1995.

Well now, if so many different types of people do it, why do equally as many cringe at the mere thought of it? I'm reminded of two ladies at the grocery store checkout line that I overhead. They were talking none to kindly about having to avoid a certain mutual friend because they didn't want to be hugged. Why do we resist hugging (or some people anyway); something that doctors and scientists proved our skin craves for survival?

Do we fear people? Are we afraid of spoiling our children? Are we afraid of sexual abuse charges? Or is it just an excuse, like I don't want to get mussed up? We may have legitimate reasons for our fears. But, whatever they are, my theory is that we must learn to concentrate on the positive benefits of hugging for the sake of our physical and mental health. We must learn to hug on for our lives.

But let's regress for just a moment. My interest in hugging began in 1981 on an ordinary Tuesday evening in the multipurpose room of the Sunkist Branch Library in Anaheim, California. Although the name and face of the female speaker have long been erased from my memory, the words of that fellow Toastmaster plunged deep into my heart, never to be forgotten. She had no clue what impact those brief seven minutes would have on my world.

When my daughter, Angela was just ten months old, (that would be in December 1983, on the 15th which was my birthday to be exact), I became president of Anaheim United Methodist Women, a group with about 160 members at the time. One of my jobs was to conduct the monthly meeting. There is nothing much worse to me than standing in front of a group of people with a solemn face looking at those same solemn faces staring back at me, adhering to parliamentary procedures, while conducting a boring business meeting that many wish would end so they could hear the speaker and eat (and eat and eat).

So I freely admit it. I've always been one to stir things up and I decided that this would be no exception. Eventually I was accused of bringing life to the group. Imagine that. I started writing new words to old familiar songs or poems and making the group do such things as executive exercises. (Stand up, fluff your pillows, stretch your arms up to God, crush Him down into your heart, bend over and touch your toes-I can't do it anymore either, but you can give it a try, stand back up, now make the telephone company happy and reach out and touch someone-give them the gebst hug you can.) My silly songs and exercises always led to hugging because I soon came to realize that many of these ladies were divorced or widows in desperate need of human contact whether they knew it or not. It was great. They felt better and made me feel good and it was win-win.

Please Like & Share this article Now! Takes like Two Seconds. Thank You!

Addthis Sharing network below.

Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Next

To top of page