Hugs

A few years ago, I embarked on a 250-mile road trip to meet Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately known as Amma, a Hindu spiritual leader who has amplified the simple, powerful, loving gesture of a hug to an astonishing level. Like many things that are authentic and true, when I had my chance, it was nothing like I had imagined, and it was wonderful.

One of my favorite YouTube videos, called “Free Hugs,” shows a young man, then a group of people, standing in a mall in Australia offering free hugs. Why did I wake up this morning thinking about “Free Hugs?” First, I read an op-ed piece in the New York Times with the fact that “more people live alone now than at any other time in history.” Second, I watched the amazing HBO movie about a woman named Temple Grandin who invented a “squeeze machine” for herself.