E for Embrace
For the letter E I have chosen to write about the significance of an embrace. It is associated with all kinds of love, from passionate to compassionate, from lustful to platonic.
Embracing seems to be in our nature. I still remember how powerfully one picture spoke to me that I saw on the internet: Twins had been born prematurely. They were tiny. Doctors had chosen to put them into the same incubator. What the photo captured was a magical moment: The slightly bigger and healthier twin had put his arm around his little brother, drawing him close in a soothing embrace while both slept to grow a little stronger. In this case, a picture indeed speaks more than a 1000 words, so here it is.
Embracing seems to be in our nature. I still remember how powerfully one picture spoke to me that I saw on the internet: Twins had been born prematurely. They were tiny. Doctors had chosen to put them into the same incubator. What the photo captured was a magical moment: The slightly bigger and healthier twin had put his arm around his little brother, drawing him close in a soothing embrace while both slept to grow a little stronger. In this case, a picture indeed speaks more than a 1000 words, so here it is.
The babies weren’t more than a few weeks old and had no understanding of how the world works, but they resorted to the comfort a hug can bring. And that’s what’s foremost on my mind when I think about an embrace. Not passion and whatever might follow the hug, but the comforting feeling of having someone’s arms around you. These arms seem to shut the world and all the problems out.
An embrace signifies so many things and conveys a myriad messages:
- You belong to me. You’re mine, and I’m yours.
- You’re not alone. We’re in this together.
- I’m here for you.
- It will be alright / things will get better.
- It’s okay to cry, everybody hurts.
- Have faith, be courageous, and fight on.
- I like you, I care about you… you are loved.
- You matter. I accept you.
Some people even believe in the healing power of an embrace. It is part of a holistic approach to life and of alternative medicine. And why not? Don’t we all feel a little better if someone embraces us? How about those videos where strangers embrace and form a spontaneous connection that is often taken further? And how about the fact that everywhere around the world, through all layers of society and all ages, embraces mean much the same and play an important role? And how about using “to embrace something” as a synonym for acceptance and support?
An embrace signifies so many things and conveys a myriad messages:
- You belong to me. You’re mine, and I’m yours.
- You’re not alone. We’re in this together.
- I’m here for you.
- It will be alright / things will get better.
- It’s okay to cry, everybody hurts.
- Have faith, be courageous, and fight on.
- I like you, I care about you… you are loved.
- You matter. I accept you.
Some people even believe in the healing power of an embrace. It is part of a holistic approach to life and of alternative medicine. And why not? Don’t we all feel a little better if someone embraces us? How about those videos where strangers embrace and form a spontaneous connection that is often taken further? And how about the fact that everywhere around the world, through all layers of society and all ages, embraces mean much the same and play an important role? And how about using “to embrace something” as a synonym for acceptance and support?
This post is linked to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2015.
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