"Braeden, can I have a hug?" any one of his many admirers will ask.
If he is busy with other things, he might decline, but usually he will walk right over to the person who asked, put his arms up and wrap them around the person's neck. Sometimes he even pats their back with his right hand.
"Oh, you give the best hugs, Braeden!" they will often say after his brief (or sometimes lingering) embrace.
Because, you know what? He does give the best hugs. He hugs from the bottom of his heart. Brady P. knows what a hug is for, and he genuinely transfers his love to the other person -- melting them from the inside.
"Oh, you just made my day!" they will sometimes say. That's a big compliment. All those things are.
And for that person to recognize the value in that meaningful moment means a lot to me. It is one seemingly small thing that makes us as humans feel connected to each other.
A hug says a lot about a person.
A hug is both giving and receiving at the same time.
It is a wordless connection between two people.
A meeting of hearts, whether brief or drawn out.
You don't always get what you put into a hug. And you don't always give what you get.
Some people think that a hug is a formality. Like, "Oh, they're family, so I'm obligated" or "Well, I haven't seen them for years, so it would be rude not to give them a hug."
A forced hug is a fake hug. You may as well not even bother. It can be awkward
If both people mean it, it helps save the world.
I am not kidding.
A true hug causes two souls to connect on the physical plane. What happens between those two people can be very emotional.
Think about the reasons we hug:
- To say good-bye
- To say hello
- To say I'm sorry
- To offer emotional support
There can be more, but I think those are the biggies. Those situations can be emotional in themselves. But when you unabashedly press your chest into someone else's while your arms are wrapped around their shoulders or torso and you squeeze your fingers into their body and bury your face in their neck and smell their scent and feel their energy, well, that causes ripples in the universe.
If the hug is genuine and pure in intention, it makes positive ripples... that help save the world.
Just think about this for one moment. Pretend that every single person on this earth turned to the person next to them, (with no one left out) and gave them a hug as sincere as the one I just mentioned.
A hug with no judgements. A hug just focused on connecting with another person and feeling what that truly means.
At that moment, when the whole world is hugging, what do you think would happen on earth? It would be a big ball of love and satisfaction with no room for hate or loneliness. Wouldn't that be so wonderful? The animals would probably notice and all hug each other too.
But wait.
What if every single person on this earth loved it so much that they then found another person to hug? And they just all kept hugging other people for a few more minutes. Don't you think that would boost moral? Don't you think there would be peace on earth for a little while?
I think it would last even longer.
It would be wonderful. It fills my heart just thinking about it.
I just googled it and found that there is actually a National Hugging Day. It was founded in 1986 and is celebrated on January 21st. But once a year is not enough.
How do you give a hug? Are you all in? Do you shake the other person around a bit in your arms? Are you always the last to let go? Are you the first to let go? Do you stay as far from the person as a hug will permit?
Pay attention next time, if you aren't sure. Or, heck. Just find someone to hug right now if you genuinely want to.
Brady P. knows how to give a hug. So do I. And so do many other people I know. Some people are such good huggers that I think about them when I need a hug. The energy manifested in a hug is that powerful. It can draw tears.
I encourage you to be that good of a hugger. You will make a difference in someone's life each time you hug. Then, my friend, then we will be that much closer to saving the world... one heart at a time.
❤️
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