I love hugs.
Yes, I do have a few stipulations, but generally speaking I love hugs. Trolls (Poppy, Branch, and the gang from DreamWorks) are basically my spirit animals.
My job as a Goddess frequently involves hugs. There are hugs at parties, when I met up with customers & recruits, and LOTS of hugs between Goddesses and Adoni at Athena’s meetings. All of this makes me very happy.
“Can we officially be on a hugging basis now??”
When it comes to initiating hugs, I realize that they are not everyone’s cup of tea, and I respect people’s personal space. After trying to gauge someone’s propensity for hugs, I like to directly ask them their position on hugging if I anticipate giving one. I’ll ask, “Are you a hugger?”, or, “How do you feel about hugs?” The latter is usually accompanied by a big, toothy grin that should clearly tell you that I am in fact a hugger, and if you’re ok with it, you’ll definitely be getting one. After the initial hug, I tend to ask, “Can we officially be on a hugging basis now??”, in which case you can absolutely expect one next time I see you.
All of those particular hugs are usually about me and my need to give you a hug to share/exchange positivity. If I see someone who looks likes they NEED a hug -puffy eyes, runny mascara, clearly emotionally drained- I will gladly offer a big squeeze.
“I have learned over time, that the hug is not about me. It is about them, it is either a gift they are giving me, or something they need.” – Linda Norton
A dear friend of mine, fellow Goddess, and my team leader, Linda, has influenced how I think about hugs. Linda is wonderful with words, and she wrote a lovely blog post called I’m not a hugger: “I have learned over time, that the hug is not about me. It is about them, it is either a gift they are giving me, or something they need.” In Linda’s case, I “warn” her that she’ll be getting a hug, because I know she won’t refuse… see knows I’m “taking” it, and we laugh about it every time. At Athena’s meetings, I seek out my “huggers” and each exchange energizes me.
I’m very expressive with my hugs, and they range from big bear hugs to one-armed side hugs… chances are you know where you stand with me based on what you get.
So if I meet you in person and you are also “a hugger”, you have a pretty good idea of how our interaction will end 🙂
