kiss me i'm german. no don't.

i just got that from a cup someone gave me, where another someone thought it might be funny to encourage to kiss the drinker - but only if german! don't. well, there's always the brotherly kiss, the one that reminds me of our friend karen braunstien who died in a car accident several years ago (we always think we live almost forever), the one you plant in the middle of someone's forehead. feels to me like you're blessing them. then there's a hug "hug me i'm german", but that wouldn't have been as cool, I guess. and not as daring for sure. although we don't hug people enough, if you ask me. and kissing, oh my gosh: you're not my spouse!

"...behaviors, as well as hugging (...) release the hormone Oxytocin, which many believe facilitates emotional connections, bonding behaviors, and trust between people.
According to a study published in Psychiatry by the University of California in San Francisco, oxytocin is associated with the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and may provide the first biological basis for strong human attachments. If oxytocin is released by participating in affectionate, contact behaviors, logic suggests that relationships which don’t produce enough oxytocin also experience reduced emotional connectedness and trust...."

i'm not as brave as the woman who stands in acacia park with the sign: free hugs. sorry, quite a step further than i dare to go - i do like watching who comes by and dares to get one though. it's interesting and beautiful and weird...makes me curious as to the why.
and then there's the age - kids are sure easy to embrace. but the older we get, the more shy we become about putting our arms around someone and not just waving the hand. contrary to how it seems to happen i'm thinking especially as we get older being hugged makes sense. it's not like life gets more kind as you see more of this world, at least not usually. and as we start smelling less delicious and of age wouldn't it be nice to feel more warm and acknowledged?
no matter what: hugs (of course the real ones, not the "i'll touch you briefly so you understand i need to get out the door") bridge the gap when words for sure don't cut it.
and they do make you feel like you're worth being close to.