Hug A Friend Day!

Posted on by under Holidays, Humour, Personal, Social commentary

I had not planned to do a post this morning, for my heart simply isn’t into it.  I’m rather tired of this whole three-ring circus we find ourselves in, tired of hearing the words “coronavirus” and “social distancing” (which wasn’t even a word until coronavirus, then somebody felt a need to make isolation sound more appealing), sick to death of seeing people in creepy masks, sick and damn tired of the creep in the Oval Office, and just decided to take some “me time”, perhaps try to remember how to use the muscles around my mouth for something other than scowling and grimacing.  But then, fate intervened … in the nicest sort of ways.

Our friend Ellen sent me an email yesterday evening to remind me that today is ‘Hug a Friend Day’, and of course I couldn’t let that one slip by … especially this year when it seems that to hug anybody is verboten.

According to one source I found …

“Today is for hugging friends! Hugging has been around for millennia and is practiced by almost all cultures as a way to connect with others without using language. Hugs have traditionally been given in may scenarios: as a greeting or goodbye, for sympathy or congratulations, and for gratitude, support, and affection. The word “hug” seems to have come from “hugga,” an Old Norse word meaning “to comfort.” “Hug” was first used around 1610, to describe a wrestling hold. It began being used for its current meaning in the 1650s.

Hugs may release a hormone called oxytocin into the bloodstream. This hormone, produced in the pituitary gland, helps lower blood pressure, heart rate, and the stress hormone cortisol. It also reduces anxiety, improves mood and memory, and increase bonding and closeness. Those who hug often tend to have increased empathy for others. In order for hugs to be beneficial, those participating must trust each other and both want to hug. Otherwise, the opposite effect happens and cortisol levels rise, causing stress.

How to Observe

Celebrate the day by hugging friends! In order for hugs to have their many benefits, make sure the friend you are hugging wants to be hugged. Let them know about the day and ask them if they would like to hug before embracing them.”

Well, now obviously none of your friends will come close enough for a hug, and you’ll just end up with crushed feelings if you try (been there, done that), so don’t waste your effort on a real hug, but … there are virtual hugs!  Not quite as good, but … better than nothing, verdad?

So, when you send that email to a friend today or leave a comment on someone’s post, send them a virtual hug, with a raincheck for the real thing if it ever becomes allowable again!

And … Filosofa sends a ginormous hug to all her friends here in bloggerdom!

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54 thoughts on “Hug A Friend Day!”

  1. Tardy Tooseday again.
    I was actually out yesterday doing some shopping in a local supermarket, it was sort of quiet, so on the way out I thanked three members of staff for hanging on in there and keeping us supplied with the provisions.
    Does that count?

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    • In this day, yes, Roger, that counts. Sigh. I hate these times, hate what people are doing to themselves. I think I shall start going outside each evening and practicing howling at the moon, for … being a wolf sounds better with each passing day.

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        • I loved seeing the goats in Llandudno, loved the Thursday night clapping (I didn’t know they banged pots & pans, too), and came close to using Thomas Moore as one of my ‘good people’ last week! If I lived in your country, I might not hate humans quite so much, but … alas … I live in hell these days. Guns, swastikas, white supremacists, and a so-called president who eggs them all on. I’ll keep practicing that howl. By the way, I hear Boris is back in the saddle and has a new baby!

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          • Ah….Chance to be very stiff ‘n stuffy (thanks Jill)
            (Clears throat….)
            His lady had the new baby, she did all the work, his contribution was, shall we shall transitory.
            Still I hope she and the little one will be OK…
            Just as an after thought…
            We applaud the NHS….
            You could organise a mass ‘Pbbbtht!’ at Pictures of the Flabmiseter, take place at a certain time every day – Just a thought. 😃

            Liked by 1 person

        • Ah, I hadn’t thought about that! 🤦 Yeah, I’m okay … at least physically! Most of the time I’m so angry I’m going to drive myself to an early grave, but otherwise we’re fine!

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  14. Jill, we are huggers here, especially my wife. So, the times are hard when we cannot welcome friends. Here is a virtual hug to you and our community of commenters and bloggers. Keith

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  18. Like a bolt of lightening, it struck me! Like the bursting of a bubble, out it popped! There it was, tucked inside one of the convolutions of my aged brain and suddenly without warning…out it fell! What you ask? What I was trying to remember when I noticed yesterday that on the calendar today is “Hug A Friend Day”! Again, what you ask? The perfect quote! I always have a quote for that…and I did, somewhere. I just could not remember the quote! It was there just beyond my reach, but it was there and I could almost touch it. Surely, I could think of another suitable quote for this celebration. But nothing else would do, except that quote. I had hit-a-wall, accepted my failure to rise to the occasion, when it hit me like a ton of bricks…the elusive quote! It all came back to me, the quote and even where it originated and the memory of having shared it before…just where and when remains a mystery. The Perfect Quote, The Only Quote for the Occasion : “The best place in the world is inside a hug.” – J. Quest. J Quest is the Brazilian pop rock band who originated in the early 90’s and continues to the present. Following the release of their first album, because of copyright laws, they had to change their name and they chose Jota Quest. The quote is a rough translation of a line in their song “Dentro de um Abraco”. For some reason that I do not recall, the quote took on a life of its own and is used to this day by a company that manufactures Teddy Bears. HUG A FRIEND…but maintain the social distancing by making your arms into a big empty “O” and imagining a friend is inside the circle! Hugs to you my friend! Thank-you!

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    • “The best place in the world is inside a hug.” Yes, that is the exact perfect quote!!! And thanks for the background info on J Quest … I had no idea! Here’s a big virtual hug for you, dear Ellen 🤗

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      • My dear, dear friend…your mind is clouded and shrouded by angst! I, even with my aged and shriveled brain, now clearly recall a previous post of yours where I shared the quote and the history of J Quest. I recall too that it was written with more depth…it is precisely the when and the where that still escapes me. I also recall that at some later time the quote appeared again, though it may have differed slightly dependent upon which translation of the song line I shared. At times I am amazed myself by what falls out of the calcifying convolutions of my brain, things nearly lost but found again! As you agree that the remembered quote is perfect, it occurs to me that you have nothing to compare it to. Therefore, I shall share the quote that would have been used had my brain failed to retrieve the perfect one. No memory was required as it is on a small framed print : “A hug is a smile with arms, a laugh with a stronger grip.” – Terri Guillemets. More hugs, from the more than prescribed social distance! Thank-you!

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        • Ha ha … ’tis true that my mind is clouded by angst and lack of sleep, but even in the best of times my mind fails to remember such things! In fact, there are days I feel lucky to remember my own name! Your brain, on the other hand, should be in the Guinness World Book of Records as the one that has never forgotten anything! Oh yes, you might forget something momentarily, but at the end of the day I swear you have a photographic memory! The Guillemets quote is also good, but I still like “The best place in the world is inside a hug” best. And a BIG distance-safe hug for you, dear friend!

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