Once upon a time I worked in an environment that involved a lot of senior citizens who though well meaning and generally very nice were constantly hugging, touching, and kissing me on the cheek. I know they were sincere, I know they were simple acts of kindness, but sometimes I would back up, find ways to avoid some of them and eventually simply said, "I'm sorry, I'm not a toucher." Or hugger. Or whatever. And they backed off. I didn't want to hurt anyone in particular's feelings, but I really didn't want that much contact with strangers and so I signed off of it from everyone outside of family for years.
Now, I run into people I care about and though they may have known me through my avoidance years, are surprised when I see them and declare, "It's ok, I hug now." Sometimes I even initiate the hug - who would have thought?
Tonight I was with a large group of people I know in varying degrees and guess what, after all that hugging and a few smooches on the cheek I was fine. Pretty fabulous even.
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