She Doesnt Owe Anyone a Hug. Not Even at the Holidays

[Honeycombe8]

16. Yes, it does.

In my family, we hugged aunts, but rarely hugged uncles. Uncles did not expect it, either, and seemed uncomfortable the few times I hugged them.

Aunts & uncles are different. Also, in my family it was the aunts, not the uncles, who bought the gifts. Traditional wives who did the gift buying, the keepers of the family flames, while the husbands worked and brought home the bacon. That was the way things were for my generation, in the deep south.

But I was mainly thinking of single aunts. It is entirely possible that a single woman over a certain age will spend the rest of her life never being hugged or kissed. I think it's easier for men to find affection, if they want it. If they live to a certain age, they have their pick of women. About 10 or so women for every man.

I remember a seminar by Leo Buscaglia on PBS. Remember him? "Dr. Love." He hugged everyone he met. He told a touching story once. He said that at on seminar or book signing, he hugged an elderly woman, which she apparently didn't expect. He said she was overcome with emotion because, as she put it, she had not been touched affectionately by anyone in decades.