I appreciate when people ask whether they can hug me, rather than saying they're going to (or just doing it without asking). I'm a generally huggy sort, but not always, and not with everyone. I'm sorry your trainer wasn't aware enough to recognize the possibility that you might not want to be hugged.
I have a similar background to yours regarding food and a mentally ill mother. It's hard enough, being a child and navigating the world of adults, without those adults inflicting their own problems on everyone around them.
That's a lovely poem - thank you for sharing it! I have a favorite tree here, a Japanese walnut with wide, spreading branches. My favorite way to commune with it isn't to hug the trunk, but to stand with the leafy end of a branch caressing the top of my head. That feels like the right way to interact with it. I suspect that trees, like humans, vary in their desire to be hugged. It's just trickier to figure out what they might prefer.
I’m sorry my recollection brought back tough memories for you.
Long ago I ‘rescued’ that vulnerable child, but there are still small things that make my spine stiffen, such as tolerating hugs. One day, I might become as spontaneous as any care-free child…
I appreciate when people ask whether they can hug me, rather than saying they're going to (or just doing it without asking). I'm a generally huggy sort, but not always, and not with everyone. I'm sorry your trainer wasn't aware enough to recognize the possibility that you might not want to be hugged.
I have a similar background to yours regarding food and a mentally ill mother. It's hard enough, being a child and navigating the world of adults, without those adults inflicting their own problems on everyone around them.
That's a lovely poem - thank you for sharing it! I have a favorite tree here, a Japanese walnut with wide, spreading branches. My favorite way to commune with it isn't to hug the trunk, but to stand with the leafy end of a branch caressing the top of my head. That feels like the right way to interact with it. I suspect that trees, like humans, vary in their desire to be hugged. It's just trickier to figure out what they might prefer.
I’m sorry my recollection brought back tough memories for you.
Long ago I ‘rescued’ that vulnerable child, but there are still small things that make my spine stiffen, such as tolerating hugs. One day, I might become as spontaneous as any care-free child…
Healing is a process. And don't worry about bringing up my memories. The more we talk about these things, the more we can release ourselves from them.