I recently watched a movie called "Please Stand By" about a young autistic woman who doesn't like eye contact or hugs. And while her caretaker gently forces her to practice maintaining eye contact, she doesn't force hugs. Instead, the pair greet with an air hug, facing each other with their arms wrapped around an imaginary person as their fingers slightly touch.That was cool.
I'm not sure where I am on the "autism spectrum," but I do know I don't like hugging most people. Only loved ones.
And while I don't want to start air hugging instead, I have tried to start a gentle fist bump for more casual interactions. Say, friends I see often and like very much, but don't want to hug every time I see them.
However, when my husband (only half-jokingly) asked if we could stopping hugging, I told him no, explaining with a modified quote from the movie Sweet Home Alabama, "I married you so I can hug you any time I want to."
For the rest of us, I propose we all greet one another how a teacher I saw in a video greets her kindergartners: as they walk in the door they each pick a hug, a high-five or a happy dance with no contact at all.
The code could be this: hold up one finger for a hug, two fingers for a high-five, and three fingers for a dance.
I'd always choose a dance, by the way. How could you not be smiling all day long if you greeted everyone with a happy dance?
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