Day 200: A Hug...

Today is "Day 200"... 200 days gone by... 200 tips given... 200 parts of me... 200 subjects... a gazillion words... countless minutes... and priceless moments recorded...

Today has been a day of many moments... I can write about how I drove 20 minutes, got to my destination, then, spilled a whole cup of ice blended coffee on myself, and, drove up home to change again, but, all with a smile on my face because I was determined to not let it ruin the day... or... I can write about the miracle of a dog giving birth... but, I'd rather write about the best moment I had today when I got home at midnight, and, finally, got a hug...

Hugs can not be described in words. They are the human embraces we take for granted at times... In a hug, we feel, smell, hear, see, and almost taste a person. At times, they can be overwhelming... Being that close to another human being can be overwhelming. It brings about the smell of a neck, the touch of an ear, the feeling of hair strands, cheeks touching, and bodies colliding... all that in itself is overwhelming.

A few years ago, Armen was leaving for a couple of weeks to the Marines at Seal Beach for training, after 9/11. The whole family was nervous about his departure... Our relationship was in its beginning stages, but we were more friends than anything else. We talked about him leaving and we all acted as though it was just like any other time he had left for training. At the end of our conversation, I said to him, "I just want a hug before you go... don't forget to give me a hug..." So he promised to give me a hug before he left. As he was leaving the whole family was there, so, he was embarassed to give me a hug in front of everybody. I watched him get into his old Nissan Pathfinder, and drive away, as he waved goodbye. I was sad that he hadn't kept his promise, but I understood why he hadn't approached me in front of the whole family. An hour later, I called him to see if he had gotten there... He told me he was stuck in traffic and that it would probably take a while. As he was talking, I said, "You left without giving me a hug..." and I listened to the silence on the other end. Right then, I realized I should probably not have brought it up, so, I told him that it wasn't a big deal and told him to be safe. An hour after that phone call, he called me back, and said, "Where are you?... stay there... I'm coming..." I was at Trader Joe's and decided to wait by my car wondering what was going on... As he pulled into the parking lot, I watched him get out of the car and walk, quickly, towards me... As he, finally, reached me, he pulled me up against him tightly, and held me there for a few seconds... At that moment, I was trying to catch my breath and had realized that he was halfway to San Diego when I talked to him, and, because I had said those few words, he had turned back around to come back and keep his promise. He, then, let me go and said, "That better?..." Then, without saying another word, walked back to his car, got in, and drove off...

Tip of the Day: Give a hug and get a hug when you can...

"You can't give a hug without getting a hug." Unknown