Hold Hands
“Nothing
in the world compares to the comfort and security of having someone
just hold your hand.”
Richelle
E. Goodrich (Smile Anyway)
When was the last time
you held someone's hand? In reflecting on this quote, I realized that
nowadays I only hold hands with children or with people who are sick
or dying. Why is this simple human act so hard to do? We hug, we
shake hands, but just sitting with someone, or walking with someone,
and holding their hand is somehow taboo unless you're courting or
married to that person.
Hand-holding in this
country is interpreted a sign of sexual interest—and dare I say—of
ownership. If I am walking down the street holding your hand, it
means that you belong to me, right? But in other cultures, especially
ones in which men and women do not mingle in the social sphere,
same-sex hand holding is common—for men and for women. In India,
the Middle East, and in Central America, it is not unusual for men to
hold hands with other men, and women with women. I suppose in the
west, especially in America and the United Kingdom, we are taught to
see any kind of public touching as inappropriate, and same-sex hand
holding as blatantly homosexual. What a loss for us.
To hold someone's hand
is, in my world view, a sign of kinship. It says, I care about you. I
relate to you. I feel love and affection for you. We are kindred
spirits. We are forever linked in friendship. You can always call
upon me when you need help. There are a million messages sent through
linked hands that have nothing to do with sex or ownership and
everything to do with connection and comfort. I hope today, you will
hold someone's hand. And, they will hold yours.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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