I'm a hugger. I hug anyone and everyone, sometimes against their will. I am convinced that hugs make the world go round. But sometimes people squeeze me just a little too tight, pat me a little too hard, or even high five me with too much force. I'm fragile. The glue that holds my body together doesn't work well and having my body jarred around or hit makes it even worse.
Mom often jokes that I need a t-shirt that says, "Please don't touch me." But that seems a little extreme. I'm usually too embarrassed to tell people to be gentle around me and often times, even the gentlest hugs or touches can still hurt. It's not uncommon that when my hand is being held I say, "Ow, you're dislocating my finger." Or someone will pat me on the back and it will sting for five minutes. Or somebody will hug me and I will tense up in pain because my body is too inflamed to even be touched.
I don't want people to afraid to hug me. I love hugs and I need them. I just want to make everyone aware of how much it hurts, even if you think it's "not that hard." What's worse is that if I ever tell people that they hurt me, they tell me it wasn't hard and I need to toughen up. I would if I could.
People always ask how they can pray for me or help me. So after years of suffering through people's hugs, I am finally asking everyone to be gentle(r). I live sick, I live in pain, but I love the comfort of (gentle) pats on the back, hugs, and high fives. So please keep them coming, but be aware that you're not as gentle as you think you are.
My name is Stacie and I like gentle hugs.
No comments:
Post a Comment