Member-only story
I Am Not a Hugger
This isn’t as big of a deal as people make it
Dig, if you will, a picture:
You go to an event, a gathering among friends and acquaintances. You see a friend talking to people you don’t know, so you make your way over to greet everyone.
The friend greets you with joy, asking what took so long for you to get here.
“Hey, have you met So-and-So?” Your friend asks you. “So-and-So, this is my good friend, I can’t believe you haven’t met already!”
You turn to So-and-So, arm extended out obviously to give them a nice handshake. But then So-and-So, with springy cheer in their voice says:
“Oh no, no handshakes here! I’m a hugger!”
And before you know it, So-and-So completely ignores your extended arm and goes for the hug. Not even a quick one either. It was a huge embrace, something that you would think would be reserved for a long-lost sibling. Or maybe for hugging the guy that brought you the cartoon-sized million dollar check for winning a sweepstake.
So-and-So refused your polite gesture and took it upon themselves to invade your space. So-and-So says they’re a hugger, but how come they didn’t ask if you’re a hugger?
