Some people see a hug as merely a form of greeting, like a handshake. Some people see it as a farewell. I'm a bit more romantic than these people in that I see a hug as something so much more intimate (not in the I'm-in-love-with-you way)..so much more personal and meaningful. It is a symbol of love and affection, of shared memories and mutual friendliness.
As this school year came to a close, I started receiving waaaay more hugs than I was used to! It wasn't so much a shock to the system as a desensitization. This isn't a bad thing per se, but it was a little disconcerting. To not appear rude or (more) obnoxious, I can't deny a hug just because others see them as a way to great people. I accepted them all and returned them all, even though some of them came from people I barely know...no offense meant if you were one of these people.
To be completely honest, I really love hugs...but only if they mean something, or if the person giving them means something to me. In the past few days, I've had about a hundred "okay, 2 seconds is long enough get off me" hugs. That seems like a lot, but I've been around a ton of people lately. :)
Of the others, I can truly say that I didn't want to let go sometimes. The hug(s) just meant so much more than just "seeya later!" Twice I wanted to cry because I felt like there just wasn't going to be another one like it once we've all left for college. I'm having difficulties expressing myself: so much for having a big vocabulary!
Well, I just wanted to describe what a hug means to me. It's a whole lot more than just a quick embrace and it touches me more than some of you could imagine. Don't waste them!
