The Hug that Cured it all

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and I had a friend coming over with her kid for a play date. It was the first time they were coming inside our house in months. We were all a bit worried but super excited.

We are pretty careful with all things corona, and we have always stayed on each other’s bubble, meeting outdoors and following safety guidelines.

This time around, things would be different. I’m recovering from surgery, and I can’t sit down or walk much, so we settled that they would come inside. Our six-year-olds were bouncing in happiness with such news. My daughter was so excited she woke up at 5:30 am in anticipation.

I felt low during my recovery and had other hiccups along the way, besides all the Covid overload we are carrying these days. And my friend was also having a tough couple of weeks. So we decided to do it. Playdate inside for kids. Coffee and chat for moms.

I opened windows to air things out. I turned on the air purifier and waited. It is incredible how such a small thing can turn into a big event when you are not allowed certain freedoms. Who knew back in March of 2019 that I would be celebrating and looking forward to a playdate like it was something out of this world.

My friend and her kid arrived. They came in. It was like we didn’t remember how to act around people anymore. Or at least not with having people inside our house. It’s impressive how ten months of Covid craze changes things. It was almost a little awkward for the grown-ups, at least. Kids picked up from when they left off and started playing right away.

While saying hi and giving that weird wave, my friend comes to me and hugs me — a good old hug. First, I was confused, but I quickly embraced the idea and hugged her back. That simple gesture almost brought tears to my eyes, and I could have stayed in that embrace much longer.

I’m a natural hugger. I’m from Brazil, and over there, most people do love hugs. Back home, hugs are for meeting people, saying hi, and going to someone’s house. They are also for happy or sad moments and many other occasions. But after I moved to the US, my hugging habit started to fade because I noticed that people don’t do that very often here. And I certainly didn’t want to be the weird one.

Now back to my friend’s hug. Maybe it was the fact that I needed a hug. Perhaps it was because I knew my friend needed a hug as much as I did. Possibly it’s the fact that we forgot the power of a hug over the last ten months and forgot that a lot of times, a simple embrace might cure it all.

After the so-called hug, and the coffee and chat, I felt great. I felt like a million bucks. I was light and smiley and at ease again. That small decision that my friend made to break a Covid rule and approach me for a hug made my day. It reminded me that we have each other’s back through Covid, surgery, good and bad, and random everyday problems. Six feet apart or up close.

So, my dear friend, thank you for that hug.