Fact: One should receive 13 hugs a day for good health.

My apologies, my friends! I’ve received a few complaints about my lack of blogging in recent weeks. So. Please forgive me, Ali, Peter! I hope you haven’t forgotten me and my adventure!

Have you ever loved so deeply that it physically hurts you? My mom and I had a conversation about this not too long ago. When you love someone with your whole heart it’s as if it’s going to burst! Isn’t it? And in the absence of such loved ones you recognize how full your heart is, and it becomes heavy. Doesn’t it? Let me explain.

Thai culture is puzzling. The people are the kindest I’ve ever met in the world. They are full of life and of love. But it is a culture void of much affection. Physical touch is not prominent- particularly between men and women. It’s radical to see young teenagers holding hands with one another. As a result, Thai people are awful huggers. I don’t hold this against them (pun intended- cha-ching!), but it’s killing me in the whole ‘you are supposed to have 13 hugs a day for good health’ rule that I adhere to. To bring these two thoughts together- my heart is painfully heavy for a big hug and kiss from my mom and dad. I’m very fortunate in that both my parents are outstanding huggers. Love you mom! Love you pops! My friends, too, excel in the hugging department. I will never take your embraces for granted, ever again, my sweet friends.

(This is Sare- she's a good hugger here. Whew.)

It would be careless of me not to note, that while most Thai folk lack in the physical affection department, itty bitty children are excluded. My little (in stature, not quantity) Saturday class of 4 and 5 year olds probably fulfills my quota of hugs in the short 2 hours I spend with them. Oh, the beauty of children! They are such incredible people, and such natural huggers. Without them I would simply die. And while I cannot live without my little ones, some of the older children I teach are remarkable as well. I recently asked 11 year-old Noodee, “If you had one million baht, what would you do with it?” After a delicate pause she replied, “I would buy clothing for children who have no parents.” I do believe we’ve got a little social activist on our hands. Oh, the ways in which these children inspire me! And their imaginations are unlike anything I’ve known in such a long time. They are full of creativity. We have much to learn from children and their perspectives.

“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body.”
(Emerson)


That our hearts could be bigger than our bodies! What burdens do we carry that children do not? Worry? Stress? Perhaps we should spend more time seeking peace, and less time building our schedules. Maybe we should take more time to do the things that we love, and spend time with those that we love. Perhaps we should reflect on life more! I know that this was a struggle of mine before I came to Thailand. Now that I am in a country of greater simplicity and ease I have been learning that joy is found in the smallest and quietest of occurrences. It is in a child’s hug, it is in a poem that makes you cry every time (from a book that your mother sent you across the ocean), it is in receiving an encouraging note from a friend, it is in receiving a compliment, it is learning to be thankful for an inhale and an exhale. It is in enduring the heaviness of heart because you are thankful to have the ability to love deeply.

I hope that today you look for, and find significance in moments that would otherwise just pass you by- that you might experience a delight that makes your heart far too big for your body.