One Simple Touch

It helps newborn babies to thrive and connect. It can bring us to our knees or make our hearts flutter. It has the ability to be cold and distant or warm and comforting. From those we care about, we crave it. From those whom we despise or fear, we abhor it. I’m talking about the power of a touch.

I cannot tell you what it does to my heart when my three-year-old grandson grabs my face with both hands and presses his forehead against mine or wraps his arms around my legs in his version of a bear hug. It’s just something about those sincere gestures that have the ability to convey such love and admiration.

Have you ever thought about our ability to give and receive love, comfort, assurance, or gratitude from a mere touch? It’s an amazing ability and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially in today’s disconnected world. Think about it. We have never been so connected to each other through phone, email, video chats, text messages, and the list goes on, but so disconnected physically. Despite that fact we still need hugs, hand holding, butterfly kisses, and cuddling. A touch makes us feel alive and connected. A heart emoji does not.

When two people really care about each other and are in love, the power of touch can evoke the type of emotion that love songs (and love stories) are made of. Remember holding the hand of your first crush? Can you think back to a time when someone you were attracted to wrapped their arms around you in a warm embrace? And what about the feel of his or her lips on your shoulder, cheek, forehead, or neck? Fanning…

As a writer, I have a really hard time writing love scenes. Maybe it’s putting the act of lovemaking into words that I find difficult. But one thing I don’t have trouble with is connecting my characters physically. There’s touching, caressing, cuddling, hugging, and fingertips dancing along spines. It’s important that my characters connect in that way because it’s important that I connect to the people in my life that same way.

A positive touch may not change your life, but it can certainly make your day. So give someone you care about a hug today. It might just put a smile on both of your faces.