Hugs Are Good For The Soul

I've been in Brisbane this weekend just past. My friends were getting married there, and I was due for a break. Flew up with a friend on Friday night, came back last night. Altogether, I was there 4 days, 3 nights.

These friends were people that I've only known for just over 3 months. I met them through a game that I play (WoW, for those of you who are geeks like I am). I speak to them almost every day via various mediums - MSN, emails, forums, in-game chat.. so really, I don't know them all that well. I guess that's why I was pretty blown away when the bride invited me for the wedding, along with another friend (although he's known the couple for around a year now). There were about 5 of us who converged in Brisbane from round-about the country.. a couple from Perth, a lovely girl from Sydney, me and my friend, and of course, the bride and groom. I've Skyped with the bride and groom, but I've never actually met any of them in person. I've seen photos of them on our forums, but I've never actually met any of them.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous about actually meeting them. Not the bride and groom because I have spoken to them countless times, but I was a little nervous about meeting the others from Perth and Sydney. I suspect that if my friend, who has known them for much longer, had not come with me, I probably would not have gone.

So we landed in Brisbane, they picked us up, we checked into our hotels, and then we went straight to the happy couple's apartment to meet the rest. I remember going through the door, and all I heard was a female voice squeal "AGGIE!!!!", and then I saw this girl RUN towards me, and the next thing I knew, I was hugged and literally lifted off the floor (she's about my height, so that's saying something) and the breath was squeezed out of me, pretty much. It was only when my feet touched the ground that I actually got a good look at her.

And that was pretty much what my weekend was like. In three days, I've received more hugs, smooches, cuddles and affection than I have in 6 months! Maybe even a year!! These weren't little teeny, 1 second hugs. These were hugs where you find it hard to breathe, where you find it hard to even let go. Maybe even a year!! When someone sneaks up behind you and traps you in the circle of their arms and plants a great big smooch on your cheek or forehead. I was even lifted off the floor by a guy, turned upside down, and spanked (affectionately, of course) by his girlfriend.

And my only conclusion was... hugs are good for the soul. I guess when you don't get too many real tight hugs, you learn to deny how much you actually need them. But hugs are good for the soul. Very, very good. I'm not so used to public displays of affection.. or PDA's, as a friend calls them. I have to admit, I go bright red, and he can attest to this, and I do shy away if I see it coming, but when a hug sneaks through or a cuddle sneaks up on me, something inside me turns to mush and I think.. I feel loved.

I miss them. I know I probably won't see any of them for another year, at least, but this was probably the best weekend that I've had for a while.

.. apart from my Warrnambool weekend recently with my family and a friend, of course.