I had the good luck to spend a day at Disneyland last week. But even better luck – my buddy for the day was my touch-and-hug-positive friend – Susan!
This means that if I had an impulse for physical connection, I felt comfortable asking for it. It was so nice. We walked over 22,000 steps that day. At one point during all that walking – perhaps it was after Space Mountain and before the Tiki Room – I had an impulse to walk arm-in-arm:
“May I hold your arm.”
“Sure!”
And so we did. Even if it looked like we were a couple – which we’re not.
Besides being hug-positive, Susan is also a playful person. So when we were on Tom Sawyer’s Island, I had memories of running around with my siblings and asked Susan, “Would you play hide-and-go-seek with me?”
“Sure!”
And so I counted to ten and she skedaddled. I looked high and low realizing that hide-and-seek is best played with a larger group. I’m proud of us for trying it out. What happened next was really fun. A photo shoot with a “pile o’ gold.” As you can see. I was feeling really silly:
And that’s what I keep experiencing again and again. If I feel safe and accepted, my childlike side can run free. Free to ask for a hug. Free to have fun.