the power of hugs

the other day, my blogger friend, shrewed  up, felt for me and my current position in life, sent me an internet hug. even though she’s two time zones away in a totally different country, the hug still felt comforting. it also reminded me that i had fallen out of the practice of giving and receiving hugs. i committed to redouble my efforts.

a hug by any other name…

my friend, shrewed up wrote on her blog the shaming of the shrew wrote about her recent experience with her dog. to briefly recap, her dog, jetta, nipped a person as my friend and her dog played at a nearby school yard. upon hearing this, the vet nearly declared that there was no hope for this dog. the vet then somewhere between strongly insisted to demanded the dog be put down.

shrewed up did some calling on her own and found a rescue agency that would take jetta. since her history of biting, jetta wouldn’t be adopted out but spend the rest of her life in a doggie “retirement home”.

i replied to her post:

wow! not only are you a good person, a good writer, a good wife and a good mom, you’re a good dog owner to boot. i commend all you did for your dog. i believe because of what you did for your dog, it will help you with your inevitable separation. euthanasia would have been so final. now he’ll have big fields to run out in for the rest of his life. What a better outcome compare to euthanasia. excellent job!

any pet would be lucky to sleep and recreate in your home. if i believed in reincarnation, i’d want to come back as one of your pets.

but, that only sets the back drop for the real story. the real story starts with shrewed up’s reply:

Yet another awesome hug. I needed that one. Thank you.

woooooh, what a concept. i had just given her a hug?? no, i had just given her a hug. no, i had just given her a hug!

what a life lesson. that lesson being a hug can be more than a physical hug. hugs could simply be kind, reassuring words.

shrewed up and i have never met and live a few thousand miles apart from each other, yet my words seemingly gave her comfort as if I were right there in her home. at a time where she dealt with the thought of losing her pet of four years, i pointed out how she display her trait as a loving person. that realization in that troubling time helped her in some way.

the story reminds me of the power of words. so many times, words get used for hurt and pain. our challenge can be encapsulated in the quest to use words for love and for healing.

in this day and age of the internet, where your friends could live a half a world away, remember that words can work to comfort. that comfort can serve to be just like a nice warm hug. and who couldn’t use a hug to boost their day every now and then.