When I was a kid, every day before I got on the bus, my mom and I would give each other a tight hug goodbye. If I didn’t get my hug goodbye, I knew it was going to be a bad day, I’d sit on the bus in tears thinking about how I missed out on my favorite thing. Now that I’m in high school, I’m thankfully not as emotional about hugs, but I still cherish them all the same. Although I don’t hug my mom goodbye anymore, I always hug her good night. I hug my friend every time I see her, I hug my sister as she leaves for college, I hug my dog the second I get home from school. As cringe or childish as it may be, I even hug my teddy bear at night as I fall asleep. Something as simple as a hug has become a crucial part of my day. When I get the chance, I will hug anyone I can.

I think hugs are so beautiful, it’s so amazing to be able to embrace someone tightly through the best and the worst of times. I love how much a hug can communicate, it’s like a universal language that intertwines us humans in the best way. Depending on the type, a hug can say a million things. You can be greeting a friend you haven’t seen in a while, saying goodbye to someone you love, celebrating a game winning shot, mourning the loss of a loved one, congratulating someone on a marriage or pregnancy announcement. A hug is such a perfect way to show love on a deeper level than just words, it’s not particularly romantic, but it shows a more intimate connection than a simple handshake or high five. 

Hugs are so much more than just a simple gesture that has to be done sometimes, every hug is unique and provides a different kind of comfort. My mom’s hugs feel caring and loving, my dad’s hugs remind me that everything will be ok and my sister’s hugs feel exactly the same as how I hugged her when I was a kid. The best kind of hugs are the ones that aren’t pre meditated, in fact those are my least favorite kinds of hugs. I hate having to hug my family members I hardly know because it’s “polite”, that’s exactly what gives hugs a bad reputation, people feeling like it’s their divine right to be hugged. You’re not hugging someone because you have to, it’s almost an instinctual thing to do.

When someone asks me for a hug, I’m not just excited that I get to do one of my favorite things. I feel so happy and grateful that they are comfortable enough with me to seek me for comfort, that’s how I know that I have formed a bond with them that won’t be easily broken. There’s a moment I often find myself having when I see someone who means so much to me, and there is nothing more important in the world than hugging them to show how much I care about them. I love just melting in someone’s arms after a tough day, and I love being able to provide that comfort to people as well. 

In my opinion, hugs are the most important thing in the world. As humans, we crave physical connection to people we care about, and I think if people were more willing to “hug it out” when things get tough, the world would be a significantly happier place.