I met an old colleague at a conference a few days back. No, this is not another one of my office sagas…so you can continue to read ahead. As I walked towards him, I raised my hand to say hello and I saw that he stretched his hand out too …only when we were within arms distance, did I realize, he wanted to give me a hug and I was in a shake-hand mode. It was a bit awkward… We sort of gave each other the one armed half-hug.
Social hugs still are still uncomfortable for me. Social hugs in a professional situation are much more awkward. My family was not big on physical demonstration of affection. As a school-girl in a girl’s only school in a lower-income neighborhood, there were few air-kisses and social hugs amongst the students. While in BE, I was slightly amused and whole lot puzzled when other girls would get off the train and hug their friends good morning every day on the railway platform.
I have improved over the past few years and can hug without obvious flinching. Somehow I find it is easier to hug comparative strangers than my old friends. And again, it is easier to hug men than women. And its always best to accept a hug than initiate one. Weird but true. But I am improving, who knows some day I might just tell my closest girl-friends “Hey let me give you a hug!â€
