Hugs

Abishag (Ab-uh-shag) was King David’s “Hot Water Bottle.” I will get back to that later, dear Reader. Nearly everyone needs human warmth at one time or another (like a hug). When times get tough, it matters even more so. Two years ago the Pandemic mutilated the world; suddenly a hug could become lethal. Right away most everyone discovered how much a hug meant. Usually we thought a hug was something of a friendship gesture. A good, long, hug underscored the great need for that hug, as well as the closeness of the friendship.

As the Pandemic hung on, we discovered that the lack of hugs sucked the oxygen out of our souls. We couldn’t go into a hospital or other healthcare facilities to visit family or friends; much less hug them. I remember scenes of friends who visited parents or relatives in facilities that had ground level windows. Double pane windows limited sound, increasing the feeling of isolation. Family and friends could only exchange hand-waves; some of the more creative visitors made large posters with love and care messages to show to their loved ones encased inside.

When Paige started teaching Early Elementary school students, most teachers freely gave hugs to the hurting or the happy, and all children in between. Often a child would simply walk up to the teacher and reach for a hug. Sometimes a child would inadvertently say, “Mommy,…” usually not noticing they had called the teacher “Mommy;” revealing the intrinsic value of that coveted hug.

I think one of the most heart-rending discoveries during the Pandemic—related to hugs—was how needy elderly folks were (and are) for a hug. Part of that need is the ubiquitous, unrelenting isolation brought on by the aging process. As one grows older, friends move away (or vice-versa) to live with or near relatives, or into Senior living facilities. Death contracts the circle of friends. Families grow in distance, albeit in number—and in both instances, social ties tend to thin. The world changes dramatically; new and additional ways to care for one another need to be discovered, at a time when mobility, social and otherwise, is lessened.

All this can tend to bring a chill to an elderly person’s life; Unless. Unless— Intentional measures are taken to ameliorate and redirect such emotional downturns. Many people are discovering life-long learning opportunities, new uses for latent talents, or taking up new, exciting interests; enriching the lives of the elderly. Fortunately there are new discoveries daily that turn a growing chill into a glowing hope, a blossoming, growing edge.

At the risk of a reach too far, I found an amusing but practical example of caretaking for someone whose life was developing a physical chilling; The old King David, in his final years, felt cold (as in temperature, cold) all the time. None of his staff could find a way to keep him warm. Too many blankets would be too heavy, or possibly suffocate the frail king. The King’s handlers decided to solve the problem and keep him warm; they searched the kingdom over and found just what they needed to keep King David warm; her name was Abishag. (a friend of mine described her; “King David’s Hot Water Bottle;”) You can click on the link above and get the details, but suffice to say, Abishag solved the problem. (See—the Bible really isn’t a dusty, dull, anachronism).