“I need a big Joel hug. Nope that’s not good enough. Still not tight enough. Wow Joel that’s the best hug I have ever had!”
These words come from my mouth at some point almost every single day. Whenever Joel and I see each other after a day of work, a few months away at college, or sometimes even just being gone for a couple hours; we share the biggest and best hug in the world. I make him lift me up and squeeze me as tight as possible, then I do the same to him. There is something special about this connection, and hugs themselves carry so much power.
My first memories of hugs involve my brothers and I at a very young age. Whenever my dad came home from work we would find our best hiding places, and as he came up the stairs we would jump out from behind the couch and bombard him with hugs. The daily surprise hugs just became a natural part of the day, and a lifestyle in our family. Not only were surprise hugs a part of our family lifestyle, but we have an even bigger extended family tradition of family hugs. Whenever our whole family meets together we share a moment of fun unity in our family hug. Our family gets in a circle with our arms around each other waists and Joel will count to three. On three we all start screaming “YAY!!!” while we shake and bump our hips together.
After that Joel will say “One more time!” and we do it all over again! Yes, my family is odd and strange, but that’s just the way we show our love to each other as weird as it is! Whether it’s surprise hugs, or family hugs; hugs have so much power in showing both acceptance and a sense in unity with those whom you embrace.
Surprise hugs and family hugs are good and all, but “Joel hugs” are the best of all. There are three main parts of a Joel hug that make it the best in the world. The first aspect is the excitement. For example, tonight I got home pretty late in the evening and just went and sat on the couch. All of a sudden I hear a rumbling coming down the stairs and Joel jumps on my lap and gives me a massive hug! There is no one I know who is that excited to give out a hug! The second part of Joel’s hugs is just the fact that it’s one of those little moments in life. So often we look past the small everyday events that occur in our life, but really those are the moments that mean the most. In reality it’s only just a hug, but it’s weird to go a day without one of those in my life. The last ingredient in Joel’s perfect hugs is his love. He literally squeezes all the possible love he has in him, into you with every hug. Joel’s hugs can make any bad day good, any good day better, and any smile twice as large. Now I know some of you may never meet my brother, but if you have the privilege of ever being able to meet him; feel free to ask him for a hug, you won’t regret it.
