Round Top Register - Texas Fun Travel Guide - The Courtjester
UNCLE SACK
Hugs
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I have been on the receivin' end of many thousands of hugs in my life and I expect that much of what has kept me alive all these years is the desire for another. I have made a short list of some of the hugs I have known. There are many more fine hugs besides the ones I name below, but here are a few of my favorites. Hugs come in all sizes. They are big and small, long and short, hot and cold, soft and hard. First I would like to discuss the small ones. Two people who meet and are not close friends will use a cautious hug. It will not last very long but it makes both people feel better. After such a hug, a person feels more at home. The next hug is one between a child and an older relative who is not his parent or grandparent. The child will turn slightly away and wince good-naturedly as though to avoid the affection. The older relative will talk to the child as though he or she is an infant and look at the child as though it were an appetizer. The child will often shudder when the hug is done but really likes it. The next hug is the one between friends who play sports. It is a rough hug. It only happens when they are excited. It embarrasses them slightly but they do it anyway. They may do it twice or more. They will say "Yeah!" a lot, and make noise. They look into each other's eyes very intensely but only for short periods of time and afterwards will act as though the hug never happened. The next hug is the one between young children. It is a very formal hug. The one who is hugged often does not respond. The one who initiates the hug usually feels very odd and self-satisfied when he or she is done. The one who is hugged feels confused and somewhat imposed upon. Both often wait for further instructions. That is enough of small hugs. Now, let's turn to some big ones. There is a hug between a grandparent and a child. It encloses the child and protects it from all sides. It is grateful. It is warm like a soft blanket. This hug invites the child outward into the world. The child is exalted and the grandparent is validated. It is a hug that steps over a generation. The next hug is between a father and an older son. It is a rare hug but a beauty to behold. It is a hard, muscular hug and both are often embarrassed when it is done. Words don’t add to it. The next hug is between a father and a daughter. She wraps her arms around him like he is the safest place in the world. He feels as though he is the greatest being on the planet. He will be slightly embarrassed. She will know it and soon bend him to her will. The next hug is between two mature women who are old friends. It is a masterful hug shared by two huggin’ experts and can last a long time. There is much cooin’ and codlin'. The warmth that flows between them is like a river. They are gardeners of affection and the seed they have planted in the past blooms during the hug. Sometimes, there are hugs between many people and a person who has been gone a long time or who has done a great thing. Everyone claps him or her on the back. Many people hug together. Everyone smiles but some cry also. They will walk together and lean against one another. The one who has been gone will never want to leave again. The one who has done a great thing will be humbled. A hug between a mother and a daughter almost hurts the mother it feels so good. It leads the daughter down through time, backwards and forwards. She can see her true self while it goes on but she does not always know it. It’s a bright, shinin' hug made of diamonds and sunlight. Both must back away and look at each other when they are done. A hug between a mother and son feels to the mother like her son grows out of her chest, like he fits into her or is an organ of some kind. She can feel him movin' in her womb. They are one person. For him, she is the sun. He basks in her love. Like a flower, it makes him grow. The hug between two lovers moves and changes. It is fierce then gentle. It generates electricity. It has colors. It can slow time. It does not require touching but often includes a great deal of it. But, sometimes this hug happens in the eyes alone ...from across the room or through the window of a train as it leaves the station or in a moment when both think the same thought at the same time. It takes a lifetime to adjust this hug for fit but it is worth the wait. |
